noun
also no·vi·ciate nōˈvish(ē)ə̇t, nəˈ-, -shēˌāt, usu -d.+V
( -s )
Etymology: French noviciat, from Medieval Latin noviciatus, novitiatus, from novicius, novitius novice + Latin -atus -ate
1.
a. : the probationary period or state of a novice in a religious order
monks were to be admitted first for a novitiate of one year — K.S.Latourette
b. : a period or state of initiation or apprenticeship in an activity or occupation
some of these early works were hung in the Paris Salon during his novitiate — W.H.Downes
2.
a. : a novice in a religious order or priesthood
entered the Sisters of Charity Convent … as a novitiate — Newsweek
must pass some time as a novitiate in a Buddhist monastery — John Gunther
b. : apprentice , beginner
the novitiate at this business of motoring south — Jack Westeyn
has little to offer a person already knowledgeable about India, but it provides a pleasant sojourn for the novitiate — Marguerite A. Brown
3. : a place where novices are trained and housed
all their German, Czech and Austrian novitiates were closed, the buildings confiscated — Anne Fremantle
Synonyms: see novice