greenhorn
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
greenhorn¹
- /ˈɡɹiːnˌhɔːɹn/ UK
- /ˈɡɹinˌhoɹn/ Canada, US, Scotland
- /ˈɡɹiːnˌhoːɹn/ Australia, New Zealand
Rhymes with -iːnhɔː(ɹ)n
Where it comes from
Inherited 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”). By surface analysis, green + horn.
noun greenhorns · green-horn · green horn
-
An inexperienced person; a novice, beginner, or newcomer.
The powers of the Canadian voyageurs and hunters in the consumption of meat strike the greenhorn with wonder and astonishment; and are only equalled by the gastronomical capabilities exhibited by Indian dogs, both following the same plan in their epicurean gorgings.
Similar: abecedarian, alphabetarian, apprentice, amateur, beginner, bun, colt, first-timer, fledgling, FNG, fresh meat, freshman
- A Portuguese person. She lives in New Bedford, and her dad's not around much and her mum calls her boyfriend a Portagee, a fuckin' greenhorn,
Greenhorn²
proper noun
- A census-designated place in Plumas County, California, United States.
Translations
Every language
noun inexperienced person
| Español | novicio, aprendiz, novato, pipiolo, bisoño |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 初心者 shoshinsha, 初学者 shogakusha, 青二才 aonisai |
| 中文 | 新手 xīnshǒu, 生手 shēngshǒu, 初學者 /初学者 chūxuézhě, 菜鳥 /菜鸟 càiniǎo |
| Português | café com leite |
| Français | blanc-bec, bleu, béjaune, alburostre |
| Deutsch | Grünschnabel, Gelbschnabel |
| Italiano | pivello |
| Română | mucos |
| Русский | новичо́к novičók, новоприбы́вший novopribývšij, зелёный zeljónyj, сала́га salága, молокосо́с molokosós |
Talk about this word "greenhorn." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/greenhorn. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. greenhorn. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/greenhorn "greenhorn." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/greenhorn.Cite this
@misc{greenhorn_2026,
title = {greenhorn},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/greenhorn},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
