Prentice
/ˈprɛntɪs/noun
A learner or apprentice, especially one bound to serve under a skilled master.
Did you know?Prentice is a reduced form of “apprentice,” whose ancestry passes through French apprendre, “to learn,” ultimately linked to Latin prehendere, “to grasp or seize.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ghend-
“To seize or take; a reconstructed root associated with grasping.”
Classical Latin
Latin
prehendere
“To grasp, seize, or take hold of.”
Late Latin
Latin
apprehendere
“To seize, grasp, or figuratively take hold of an idea.”
Old French
Old French
apprendre
“To learn or teach; literally connected with taking hold of knowledge.”
Anglo-French
Anglo-French
apprentiz
“A learner or novice bound to a master for training.”
14th Century
Middle English
prentis
“An apprentice or learner; a shortened form of apprentice.”
Modern English
English
prentice
“A learner or apprentice, now chiefly literary, historical, or dialectal.”
Explore more surprising origins