a paid job or formal program in which someone works for an experienced person or company for a set period to learn a skilled trade or profession
After finishing high school, Maya applied for an apprenticeship with a local electrician.
During his plumbing apprenticeship, Carlos learned how to install bathroom fixtures safely.
✦ from apprentice + -ship; originally in Middle English referring to the state or condition of being an apprentice in a guild system
the early stage of someone’s career when they are still learning and improving their skills
The novelist’s first three books were part of her creative apprenticeship before she found her true voice.
Years of concert tours served as the band’s apprenticeship, honing their performance skills.
✦ figurative extension of the original sense, dating from the 17th century, to mean any period of early professional growth
A person who is learning a trade or skill by working for an experienced professional over a set period.
The young apprentice carefully sanded the wooden table under the carpenter’s guidance.
During her first week, the bakery’s new apprentice asked many questions to perfect the dough.
✦ Middle English, from Old French ‘aprentis’, based on Latin ‘apprendere’ meaning ‘to learn’.
To work with or be placed under a skilled person in order to learn their trade or craft.
After high school, Maria apprenticed with a famous fashion designer in Milan.
The guild apprentices new carpenters for four years before granting them full membership.
✦ Developed from the noun sense in late Middle English, meaning ‘to bind someone as an apprentice’.
