Definition

1. Noun:
   • A person who has entered a religious order but has not yet taken final vows: A "novitiate" is an individual, often called a novice, undergoing a period of training and probation before full membership in a religious community.
   • The period or state of being a novice, especially in a religious order: "Novitiate" refers to the specific time of initial formation, training, and probation that a new member of a religious order must complete.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (Person):

  • The young novitiate spent her days in prayer and study.
  • He was a novitiate in the monastery for two years before professing his vows.

• Noun (Period/State):

  • Her novitiate was a time of deep spiritual reflection.
  • The order requires a two-year novitiate for all new members.

Advanced Usage

• "to be in one's novitiate": to be undergoing the period of training.
  • She is still in her novitiate and is not yet a full member of the sisterhood.

Variants and Related Words

• Novice (n): The more common term for the person undergoing the novitiate.
  • The novice was assigned to work in the garden.

Synonyms

• Probationer: A person undergoing a trial period.
• Trainee: A person undergoing training for a particular role or job.
• Postulant: In some religious traditions, a person who is a candidate for admission to a religious order, a stage that may precede the novitiate.

Related Phrases

• Period of novitiate: Emphasizes the duration of the training.
  • The period of novitiate is crucial for discernment.

Noun

1. someone who has entered a religious order but has not taken final vows
2. the period during which you are a novice (especially in a religious order)