novitiate
nounUK /nəˈvɪʃiət/
US /noʊˈvɪʃiət/
A time when someone learns to be a monk or nun.
She spent a year in the novitiate before taking her vows.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. The building or part of a religious house where new members live and train.
The novitiate was a quiet wing of the monastery.
3. A person who is new to a job or activity and still learning.
As a novitiate in the kitchen, he chopped onions for hours.
4. The state or period of being a beginner in any field.
Her novitiate in politics lasted only a few months.