rookie

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɹʊki/^[1]

Etymology

It is of uncertain origin,^[2] perhaps an alteration of recruit,^{[3][4][2][5][6]} influenced by rook in the sense of a person easily cheated.^[4][2] An 1890 slang dictionary instead linked it to the black coat some recruits wore.^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

A raw recruit (1868 in Etymonline;^[2] 1892 in Barnhart, the OED and Merriam-Webster).^[4][7][5]

Semantic evolution

The word was popularized by Rudyard Kipling's Barrack-Room Ballads (1892)^[2] and came into general American use during the Spanish-American War.^[2] It was applied to a novice at a sport (1892),^[7] and especially to a first-year player in a professional team.^[7][3][5][6]

Timeline

• 1868 – a raw recruit, per Etymonline.^[2]
• 1892 – in Kipling's Barrack-Room Ballads.^[2][7][4]
• 1898 – in general American military use.^[2]
• 1930 – attributive use.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. An inexperienced recruit, as in the army or police.
2. A beginner or novice.
3. A first-year player in a professional sport.

Related words

• recruit
• rook
• tyro

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
4. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press