Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Novitiate

Novitiate , noun

[Late Latin novitiatus: compare French noviciat.]

1.
The state of being a novice; time of initiation or instruction in rudiments.
2.
The time of probation in a religious house before taking the vows.
3.
One who is going through a novitiate, or period of probation; a novice. — Addison
4.
The place where novices live or are trained. [Rare]