greenhorn
Plural: greenhorns
Noun
- an awkward and inexperienced youth
- An inexperienced person; a novice, beginner, or newcomer.
- A Portuguese person.
Origin / Etymology
Inherited from Middle English grene horn, which is attested for “horn of a recently killed animal” and as the name of a horse. It may also have been used of young horned animals. In all cases “green” refers to the idea of “fresh, young, recent”, taken from plants and used in Middle English for all kinds of things irrespective of their colour, e.g. wounds, leather, fish, cheese (see green cheese). Figurative use for people dates from the 17th century. Compare semantically German Grünschnabel (literally “green-beak”). By surface analysis, green + horn.
Synonyms
cub, rookie, Johnny-come-lately, abecedarian, alphabetarian, amateur, apprentice, beginner, bun, colt, first-timer, fledgling, fresh meat, freshman, greener, greenhorn, greenie, homo novus, inceptor, initiate, learner, n00b, neophyte, new chum, newb, newbie, newbro, newcomer, newling, noob, novice, novitiate, nozzer, nub, nubcake, probationer, probationist, probie, puny, pup, recruit, stranger, tenderfoot, trainee, tyro, younker
Scrabble Score: 13
greenhorn: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordgreenhorn: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
greenhorn: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary