tyro

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 2, 2020 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>tyro</strong> &#149; \TYE-roh\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p><strong>:</strong> a beginner in learning <strong>:</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/novice">novice</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>The ranch has one riding trail for <em>tyros</em> and several more challenging options for experienced riders.</p> <p>"In 'Zucked,' Roger McNamee winces at the memory of his introduction to Mark Zuckerberg. It was 2006 and he played the grizzled industry elder to Zuckerberg's <em>tyro</em>." — Stephen Phillips, <em>The San Francisco Chronicle</em>, 10 Feb. 2019</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>The word <em>tyro</em> is hardly a newcomer to Western language. It comes from the Latin <em>tiro</em>, which means "young soldier," "new recruit," or more generally, "novice." The word was sometimes spelled <em>tyro</em> as early as Medieval Latin, and can be spelled <em>tyro</em> or <em>tiro</em> in English (though <em>tyro</em> is the more common American spelling). Use of <em>tyro</em> in English has never been restricted to the original "young soldier" meaning of the Latin term. Writers in the 17th and 18th centuries wrote of tyros in various fields and occupations, and Herman Melville used <em>tyro</em> to refer to men new to whaling and life at sea. The word also has a long history of being used attributively—that is, directly before another noun—in phrases like "tyro reporter" and "tyro actors."</p> <br /><br /> </p> </font>