/ ˈentrənt; NAmE / noun entrant (to sth)
1.
a person who has recently joined a profession, university, etc. :
new women entrants to the police force
university entrants
2.
a person or an animal that enters a race or a competition; a person that enters an exam
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WORD ORIGIN
early 17th cent. (denoting a person taking legal possession of land or property): from French , literally entering, present participle of entrer , from Latin intrare , from intra within.