Make Your Point > Archived Issues > NEOPHYTE
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connect this word to others:
Recall the moment you walked into a new job. Or, recall the first time you picked up your guitar, or the first time you sat down to figure out the rules of chess.
In that moment, you were a newcomer, a novice, a beginner, a gr__nh__n, a fl_dgl_ng. You were a neophyte.
Let's make sense of this word's parts, neo and phyte. If neophilia is a love of newness and a neologism is a new word, and if a hydrophyte is an aquatic plant and a microphyte is a very tiny plant, then what's a neophyte, in the most literal sense?
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
make your point with...
"NEOPHYTE"
This word literally means "new plant."
A neophyte is a beginner, or a new person, like someone who just joined a religion, someone who just entered politics, or someone who just now got interested in fine wines. Think of neophytes as people who are newly "planted" into a specific environment.
Pronunciation:
NEE uh fite
Part of speech:
Noun, the countable kind ("these neophytes," "she's a neophyte").
Other forms:
The plural is "neophytes."
You can use "neophyte" as an adjective, as in "neophyte mistakes"--or use the nicer-sounding "neophytic."
The noun for the idea of inexperience or of being new at something is "neophytism."
How to use it:
Because the word "neophyte" originally described people who just recently converted to a religion, and because its roots literally mean "new plant," it provides a serious, sophisticated tone to your idea--more so than "newbie," "beginner," and even "amateur."
Simply refer to someone as a neophyte, or say that someone is a neophyte in or at some area, sphere, or activity: "a neophyte in politics," "a neophyte at video games." Or, say that someone is a neophyte in/at doing something: "a neophyte in negotiating," "a neophyte at playing World of Warcraft."
Add an adjective, if you like, as you refer to people as political neophytes, crossword neophytes, overly eager neophytes, etc.
Often we contrast neophytes with people who have gained knowledge and/or experience: "it resonates with neophytes as well as superfans (New York Times)," "workshops attended by both neophytes and experts (Nature)," "a neophyte [and] an established senator (Washington Post)," "from neophyte to hardened soldier (The Verge)," "a seasoned connoisseur or a jazz-curious neophyte (Seattle Times)."
Lastly, it's not often that we use "neophyte" like an adjective, but you can talk about neophyte golfers, neophyte hackers, neophyte credit card holders, etc.
examples:
They enroll in Freshman Composition as neophytes, starting every paragraph with "Next" or "Also," struggling to break free from the five-paragraph essay.
"'There was a whole generation of [China's nuclear] scientists missing,' says [Nancy] Hayden, who recalls a group split between researchers older than 60 with 'deep experience' and neophytes under 30."
— Richard Stone, Science Magazine, 31 August 2017
has this page helped you understand "neophyte"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "neophyte" without saying "amateur" or "newcomer."
try it out:
Fill in the blanks: "The object is to convince the hesitating neophyte that (some activity or sphere) consists (in/of) (doing something easy or pleasant)."
Example: "The object...is to convince the hesitating neophyte that the sport of bicycling consists in sitting on a luxurious saddle, and being moved rapidly in the direction you wish to go by unseen heavenly powers."
— Jerome Klapka Jerome, Three Men on the Bummel, 1900
before you review, play:
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
Quintessential TV Quotes!
Each day, match the given vocabulary word to the quote that best illustrates it.
From the previous issue:
From Seinfeld, which quote below illustrates something felicitous?
Quote A:
George: You should've seen her face. It was the exact same look my father gave me when I told him I wanted to be a ventriloquist.
Quote B:
Kramer: Bookman? The library investigator's name is actually Bookman?
Librarian: It's true.
Kramer: That's amazing. That's like an ice cream man named "Cone."
Quote C:
Agent: I know why we have reservations.
Jerry: I don't think you do. If you did, I'd have a car. See, you know how to take the reservation, you just don't know how to hold the reservation and that's really the most important part of the reservation. You see, it's the holding. Anybody can just take 'em.
Answer: In quote B, Bookman's name is delightfully felicitous.
Try this one today:
From Pinky and the Brain, which quote below illustrates something saccharine?
Quote A:
Brain: I feel the need. I feel the need for expeditious velocity.
Quote B:
Brain: Look at these tapes! "It's a Sugary-Wugary Day" by Laffie. "Life's a Rosy-Posie Bed of Honey" by Marie Fluis and Pork Chop. The titles alone are enough to make my teeth rot!
Pinky: I'll help you floss.
Quote C:
Brain: How are we going to get the Earth to lose weight?
Pinky: I know! We can get everyone to go on a diet!
Brain: Diets don't work.
Pinky: Not even if you call them "A Whole New Way of Eating?"
Brain: No.
review today's word:
1. One opposite of NEOPHYTE is
A. OLD HAT.
B. OLD PRO.
C. OLD GOLD.
2. Understandably, they resent being neophytes to _____.
A. so many bosses at once
B. confusing new technologies
C. a poorly worded and poorly implemented law
a final word:
Make Your Point is crafted with love and brought to you each weekday morning by Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From Liesl's blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Recall the moment you walked into a new job. Or, recall the first time you picked up your guitar, or the first time you sat down to figure out the rules of chess.
"NEOPHYTE" This word literally means "new plant."
They enroll in Freshman Composition as neophytes, starting every paragraph with "Next" or "Also," struggling to break free from the five-paragraph essay.
Explain the meaning of "neophyte" without saying "amateur" or "newcomer."
Fill in the blanks: "The object is to convince the hesitating neophyte that (some activity or sphere) consists (in/of) (doing something easy or pleasant)."
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
1. One opposite of NEOPHYTE is
|