plebe
UK[pliːb]US[pliːb]
n
A new or first-year cadet at a military or naval academy, especially at the United States Military Academy or Naval Academy.
n
(informal, by extension) A newcomer, especially one who is inexperienced or naive.
Etymology
The word 'plebe' is a direct clipping of the Latin term 'plebeius', meaning 'of the common people', which itself derives from 'plebs', the collective term for the general citizenry in ancient Rome. It entered American English in the early 19th century as a slang term at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where new cadets, stripped of rank and privilege, were likened to the common populace. Through this institutional usage, the term's meaning narrowed from a general reference to commoners to a specific label for an initiate in a strict hierarchical system, later extending informally to any novice.
Analysis
This word is a loanword adopted as a simplex unit from Latin. It does not contain separable, productive morphemes in modern English.
Examples
The upperclassmen devised a series of challenges for the new plebes.
As a plebe, his first year was filled with rigorous training and discipline.
Don't listen to him, he's just a plebe when it comes to understanding this software.