What does novitiate mean?
Novitiate denotes a period of supervised preparation before a person enters a religious order, profession, or demanding vocation. In its best-established sense, it refers to the stage of formation within a Roman Catholic religious community, during which candidates learn the order's history, customs, discipline, and spiritual life. The word can also be used more broadly for any structured period of introductory training, although it then carries a formal or literary tone. Novitiate emphasizes both instruction and testing: the candidate is not merely acquiring information but demonstrating readiness for a new way of life. A novice is the person undergoing this formation, while the novitiate is the process or program itself. The distinction has become familiar through the common expression of taking final vows at the end of a novitiate.
nounA period of training or probation undergone by a person preparing to enter a religious order or another profession. In Roman Catholic usage, it is the approved period of preparation that precedes admission to religious life.
- A period of probation or preparation for entry into a religious order or profession.
- The early stage of training in which a person is a novice.
- By extension, a period of introductory training or apprenticeship.
"After completing the novitiate, she took her first vows."
"The young aspirant entered the novitiate with a strong desire to serve."
"Her first year as a lawyer felt like a professional novitiate."
Used when referring to distinct training programs or periods of preparation.
"The two novitiates use different approaches to instruction."
In a religious order, the novitiate is where a new member learns not only the rules of the community but also whether the life fits.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does novitiate come from?
The word comes through French from Medieval Latin novitiatus, meaning a period of probation or apprenticeship. That Latin form was derived from novus, meaning “new,” reflecting the candidate's status as a beginner. The same fundamental Latin root appears in words such as novice, novel, innovation, and novation.
How novitiate is actually used
The term is most common in Roman Catholic and other religious contexts. In general use, it can sound formal or literary and usually implies a period of testing, instruction, and gradual admission to a vocation.
Easily confused with novitiate
A novice is a person who is new to a field or undergoing training, whereas a novitiate is the period of that training, especially in a religious order.