• apprentise (obsolete)

From Middle English apprentice, apprentesse, apprentyse, apprentis, from Old French aprentis, plural of aprentif, from Old French aprendre (verb), Late Latin apprendō, from Classical Latin apprehendō.

Compare typologically Latin discipulus (akin to capiō); Russian схва́тывать на лету́ (sxvátyvatʹ na letú), and for another aspect быть на подхва́те (bytʹ na podxváte) (both akin to хвата́ть (xvatátʹ).

• IPA^(key): /əˈpɹɛntɪs/

• Audio (Southern England):

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apprentice (plural apprentices)

1. A trainee, especially in a skilled trade.
   • 1961 March, C. P. Boocock, “The organisation of Eastleigh Locomotive Works”, in Trains Illustrated, page 163:

     To this end a well-equipped and keenly-run apprentice training school has been in operation at Eastleigh since 1958 and here apprentices are given a good grounding in a number of trades, followed by a thorough training in the trade to which they become allocated.

   • 2022 December 14, “Network News: A pipeline of work key for apprentices”, in RAIL, number 972, page 17:

     Scottish rail suppliers have told the Government that they can only reach their target of employing 500 apprentices if they are given a clear pipeline of work, rather than having to endure the current stop-go programme.

2. (historical) One who is bound by indentures or by legal agreement to serve a tradesperson, or other person, for a certain time, with a view to learn the art, or trade, in which his master is bound to instruct him.
3. (dated) One not well versed in a subject; a tyro or newbie.

• journeyman
• masterman
• master
• trainee

apprentice (third-person singular simple present apprentices, present participle apprenticing, simple past and past participle apprenticed)

1. (transitive) To put under the care and supervision of a master, for the purpose of instruction in a trade or business.

   His father had apprenticed him to a silk merchant.

   He was apprenticed to a local employer.

   • 2025 August 25, Robert Reich, “Why Trump built a staff of incompetent sycophants”, in The Guardian‎^[1], archived from the original on 25 August 2025:

     Early in his career, Trump apprenticed himself to Roy Cohn, an unprincipled lawyer who taught the young Trump how to gain wealth and influence through ruthless bullying, profane braggadocio, opportunistic bigotry, baseless lawsuits, lying, and more lying.
     Yet as Trump’s “fixer” with politicians, judges and mob bosses, Cohn remained utterly loyal to Trump and his father, Fred.

2. (transitive) To be an apprentice to.

   Joe apprenticed three different photographers before setting up his own studio.

• “apprentice”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “apprentice”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.