Hypertext Webster Gateway: "novitiate"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Novitiate \No*vi"ti*ate\, n. [LL. novitiatus: cf. F. noviciat.]
1. The state of being a novice; time of initiation or
instruction in rudiments.
2. Hence: Time of probation in a religious house before
taking the vows.
3. One who is going through a novitiate, or period of
probation; a novice. --Addison.
4. The place where novices live or are trained. [R.]
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
novitiate
n 1: the period during which you are a novice (especially in a
religious order) [syn: {noviciate}]
2: someone who has entered a religious order but has not taken
final vows [syn: {novice}]
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