D defs.my
Entry 4 senses Webster, 1913

Novitiate

· No·vi·ti·ate · IPA /nəˈvɪʃi.ət/
01 n. The state of being a novice; time of initiation or instruction in rudiments.
  1. 1.
    The state of being a novice; time of initiation or instruction in rudiments.
  2. 2.
    The time of probation in a religious house before taking the vows.
  3. 3.
    One who is going through a novitiate, or period of probation; a novice.
  4. 4.
    The place where novices live or are trained.[R.]