rookie

Thought to be an alteration of recruit +‎ -ie, or from rook (“a cheat”) +‎ -ie. Another possible origin is Dutch broekie (short for broekvent (“a boy still in short trousers”)), a common term for a shipmate.

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹʊki/
• Rhymes: -ʊki

rookie (plural rookies)

1. An inexperienced recruit, especially in the police or armed forces.
2. A novice.
3. An athlete either new to the sport or to a team or in his first year of professional competition, especially said of baseball, basketball, hockey and American football players.
4. (Britain) A type of firecracker, used by farmers to scare rooks.

• beginner
• newbie, new boy
• noob
• tyro
• novice
• See also Thesaurus:beginner

rookie (comparative rookier, superlative rookiest)

1. non-professional; amateur

   The game was going well until I made that rookie mistake.

   the rookiest of rookie mistakes

• naive
• rooky (homophone)

rookie m or f (plural rookies)

1. rookie