novice
NOV-isnounMeaning a beginner; someone new to a skill or activity
Memory hook NOV-ICE: NEW on the ICE. Jamal is new on the ice: wobbly knees, waving arms, one big bump. He is a novice skater.
As a novice skater, Lin spent more time on the ice than on her feet.
In context The chess club welcomed everyone, from novices still learning how the knight moves to old masters who had played for fifty years.
Similar beginner, newcomer, learner, rookie
Opposite expert, veteran, master
From Latin novicius, “new,” from novus (new), the root of novel and renovate.