Etymograph

English

novice

Novice comes from Latin novīcius ‘new, fresh’, from Proto-Indo-European *nu ‘now’, and ultimately from *new-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*new-1root named by Wiktionary
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*nu2‘now’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*néwos3‘new’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*nowos3‘new’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnovus1‘new’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnovīcius1‘new, fresh’
  7. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400novice1
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500novice1
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1983novice1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English novice
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *néwos
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Latin novus
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1983, Lawrence Durrell, Sebastian: “Nor had it been difficult to find a Coptic…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*new-Wiktionary, English noviceroot named by Wiktionary
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*nuWiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *néwos‘now’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*néwosWiktionary, Latin novus‘new’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*nowosWiktionary, Latin novus‘new’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnovusWiktionary, English novice‘new’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEnovīciusWiktionary, English novice‘new, fresh’
  7. Anglo-Normanc. 1066–1400noviceWiktionary, English novice
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500noviceWiktionary, English novice
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1983noviceWiktionary, English novice. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1983, Lawrence Durrell, Sebastian: “Nor had it been difficult to find a Coptic…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *new-

need, renew, innuendo, nouveau, novella, numinous, 11 more

through Proto-Indo-European *nu ‘now’

noo, 11 more

through Proto-Indo-European *néwos ‘new’

new, newly, innovation, newer, neon, renovation, innovate, renovate, innovator, newness, 10 more

through Proto-Italic *nowos ‘new’

telenovela, novation, 6 more

through Latin novus ‘new’

novel, nova, nuevo, 8 more

through Latin novīcius ‘new, fresh’

novitiate

Today it means

noun A beginner; one who is not very familiar or experienced in a particular subject.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “novice”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *néwos, Latin novus. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *new- / novice

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