neophyte

Definition

A beginner; a person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin neophytus, from Ancient Greek νεόφυτος (neóphutos, “newly planted”), from νέος (néos, “new”) + φυτόν (phutón, “plant, child”). By surface analysis, neo- + -phyte.

Example Sentences

• "A convert's enthusiasm for his new religion is greater than that of a person who is born in it. Vegetarianism was then a new cult in England, and likewise for me, because, as we have seen, I had gone there a convinced meat-eater, and was intellectually converted to vegetarianism later. Full of the neophyte's zeal for vegetarianism, I decided to start a vegetarian club in my locality, Bayswater."
• "In this scene Lupita, the neophyte, is counselled by more weathered professionals about the rules and regulations of whoring."
• "[…]everyone has to own the floors of whoever you vote for, whether they are a lying handsy narcissistic sociopath[…] or a conspiracy-pandering political neophyte with no clear understanding of how government operates and who once recorded this folk rap about the virtues of bicycling."