Novitiate — Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice (or prospective) monastic or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to the religious life. A novice … Wikipedia
Novitiate — No*vi ti*ate, n. [LL. novitiatus: cf. F. noviciat.] [1913 Webster] 1. The state of being a novice; time of initiation or instruction in rudiments. [1913 Webster] 2. Hence: The time of probation in a religious house before taking the vows. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
novitiate — index apprentice, preparation, probationer (one being tested) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
novitiate — (n.) also noviciate, state of being a novice, c.1600, from M.Fr. noviciat or directly from M.L. novitiatus, from L.L. novitius novice, from Latin adjective novicius (see NOVICE (Cf. novice)) … Etymology dictionary
novitiate — *novice, apprentice, probationer, postulant, neophyte … New Dictionary of Synonyms
novitiate — (also noviciate) ► NOUN 1) the period or state of being a novice. 2) a religious novice. 3) a place housing religious novices … English terms dictionary
novitiate — [nō vish′it; ] also, and chiefly Brit [, nōvish′ē it, nō vish′ēāt΄] n. [Fr noviciat < ML novitiatus] 1. a) the period or state of being a novice b) NOVICE 2. the quarters assigned to religious novices: Also Chiefly Brit. noviciate … English World dictionary
novitiate — UK [nəʊˈvɪʃɪət] / US [noʊˈvɪʃət] / US [noʊˈvɪʃɪət] noun [countable] Word forms novitiate : singular novitiate plural novitiates the period of time that someone spends as a novice in a religious community … English dictionary
novitiate — noun 1) his novitiate lasts a year Syn: probationary period, probation, trial period, test period, apprenticeship, training period, traineeship, training, initiation 2) two young novitiates Syn: novice, neophyte … Thesaurus of popular words
novitiate — noun Etymology: French noviciat, from Medieval Latin noviciatus, from novicius Date: 1600 1. the period or state of being a novice 2. a house where novices are trained 3. novice … New Collegiate Dictionary
novitiate — /noh vish ee it, ayt /, n. 1. the state or period of being a novice of a religious order or congregation. 2. the quarters occupied by religious novices during probation. 3. the state or period of being a beginner in anything. 4. a novice. Also,… … Universalium