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Origin and history of apprentice

apprentice(n.)

"one bound by legal agreement to an employer to learn a craft or trade," c. 1300, from Old French aprentiz "someone learning" (13c., Modern French apprenti, taking the older form as a plural), also as an adjective, "unskilled, inexperienced," from aprendre "to learn; to teach" (Modern French apprendre), contracted from Latin apprehendere "take hold of, grasp" mentally or physically, in Medieval Latin "to learn" (see apprehend). The shortened form prentice, prentis long was more usual in English.

apprentice(v.)

"to bind to a master for instruction in his craft," 1630s, from apprentice (n.). Related: Apprenticed; apprenticing.

also from 1630s

Entries linking to apprentice

apprehend(v.)

late 14c., apprehenden, "grasp with the senses or mind;" early 15c., "grasp, take hold of" physically, from Latin apprehendere "to take hold of, grasp," from ad "to" (see ad-) + prehendere "to seize." This is from prae- "before;" see pre- + -hendere, from PIE root *ghend- "to seize, take."

The metaphoric extension to "seize with the mind" took place in Latin and was the sole sense of cognate Old French aprendre (12c., Modern French appréhender). Often "to hold in opinion but without positive certainty."

We "apprehend" many truths which we do not "comprehend" [Richard Trench, "On the Study of Words," 1856] 

Also compare apprentice). The specific meaning "seize in the name of the law, arrest," is from 1540s. The meaning "be in fear of the future, anticipate with dread" is from c. 1600. Related: Apprehended; apprehending.

apprenticeship(n.)

"service or legal condition of an apprentice; process of gaining knowledge of a trade, etc., from the instruction of a master; term during which one is an apprentice," 1590s; see apprentice (n.) + -ship. Replaced earlier apprenticehood (late 14c., with -hood).

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*ghend-
also *ghed-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to seize, to take."  It forms all or part of: apprehend; apprentice; apprise; beget; comprehend; comprehension; comprehensive; comprise; depredate; depredation; emprise; enterprise; entrepreneur; forget; get; guess; impresario;
purloin
mid-14c., purloinen, "to remove; misappropriate; to entice (a craftsman or apprentice) from a master," from Anglo-French...
indenture
late 14c., endenture, indenture, "written formal contract for services (between master and apprentice, etc.), a deed with...
sorcerer
Sorcerer's apprentice as a figure of one who unleashes forces he cannot control translates l'apprenti sorcier, title of a...
candle
To hold a candle to originally meant "to help in a subordinate capacity," from the notion of an assistant or apprentice holding...
master
mid-14c. as "one who employs another or others in his service" (in which sense the correlative word was servant, man, or apprentice...
prepare
mid-15c., "set in order or readiness for a particular end," a back formation from preparation and in part from Old French preparer (14c.), from Latin praeparare "to make ready beforehand," from prae "before" (see pre-) + parare "to make ready" (from PIE root *pere- (1) "to produc
novice
mid-14c., "probationer in a religious order," from Old French novice "beginner" (12c.), from Medieval Latin novicius, noun use of Latin novicius "newly imported, newly arrived, inexperienced" (of slaves), from novus "new" (see new). Meaning "inexperienced person, one new to his c
train
early 14c., "a drawing out, delay;" late 14c., "trailing part of a skirt, gown, or cloak;" also "retinue, procession," from Old French train "tracks, path, trail (of a robe or gown); act of dragging," from trainer "to pull, drag, draw," from Vulgar Latin *traginare, extended from
initiate
"one who has been initiated" (in secret doctrines, etc.), 1732, from obsolete or archaic past-participle adjective initiate "initiated, instructed in secret knowledge" (c. 1600), from Latin initiatus (see initiate (v.))....c. 1600, "introduce to some practice or system," also "be

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