greenhorn
Meaning
- (US) An inexperienced person; a novice, beginner or newcomer.
- (ethnic, offensive, slur) A Portuguese person.
Synonyms
inexperienced person
young person
raw recruit
poor hand
johnny raw
Translations
Grünschnabel
blanc-bec
pivello
pipiolo
melkmuilFrequency
Etymology
In summary
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”).
Notes
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