Rookie
WordNet
noun
(1) An awkward and inexperienced youth
WiktionaryText
Etymology
Thought to be an alteration of recruit.
Another reasonable origin is Dutch 'broekie' (short for broekvent, a boy still in short trousers), a common term for a shipmate.
Noun
- an inexperienced recruit, especially in the police or armed forces
- a novice
- an athlete either new to the sport, to a team or in his first year of professional competition, especially said of baseball, basketball, hockey and American football players.
- a type of firecracker used by farmers to scare rooks.
Synonyms
Adjective
- non-professional; amateur
- The game was going well until I made that rookie mistake.