sorcerer's apprentice

noun

Person who experiments carelessly, without paying attention to the possible consequences of their experiments and without the ability to contain them should they spiral out of control.

OriginFrench apprenti-sorcier ← German Zauberlehrling →
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Meanings

nounsorcerer's apprentice (plural sorcerer's apprentices)

plural sorcerer's apprentices

  1. derogatoryPerson who experiments carelessly, without paying attention to the possible consequences of their experiments and without the ability to contain them should they spiral out of control.

Origin

  1. GermanZauberlehrling
  2. Frenchapprenti-sorcier
  3. Englishsorcerer's apprentice

Calque of French apprenti-sorcier, itself a calque of German Zauberlehrling.

More words from French, German

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Dutch tovenaarsleerling
  • tovenaarsleerlingTranslations
Finnish tulella leikkijä, noidan oppipoika
  • tulella leikkijäTranslations
  • noidan oppipoikaTranslations
French apprenti-sorcier
  • apprenti-sorcierTranslations
German Zauberlehrling
  • ZauberlehrlingTranslations
Polish uczeń czarnoksiężnika, uczennica czarnoksiężnika
  • uczeń czarnoksiężnikaTranslations
  • uczennica czarnoksiężnikaTranslations
Cite this entry
APA

sorcerer's apprentice. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sorcerer's%20apprentice

MLA

“sorcerer's apprentice.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sorcerer's%20apprentice. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sorcerer's apprentice,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sorcerer's%20apprentice.

Source: sorcerer's apprentice on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.