variants or Padawan
plural padawans or Padawans
informal
: a young person especially when regarded as naïve, inexperienced, etc.

Note: This use of padawan has its origin in the fictional universe of the Star Wars franchise, where the term padawan refers to aspiring Jedi knights whose education is overseen by a Jedi master.

… rookie quarterback Mac Jones, who is still a passing Padawan, not a Jedi knight. Christopher L. Gasper
often used humorously as a form of address
Is it even possible to get good quality smart lights for less? There are ways, young padawan. There are ways. Michelle Rae Uy

Examples of padawan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The series centers Jedi master Sol (Lee Jung-jae) and his former padawan Osha (Amandla Stenberg), who are brought together after years of estrangement because Jedi masters are being murdered. Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 10 July 2024 Stenberg plays a former padawan who now works against the Jedi. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 5 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

coined by the filmmaker George lucas

Note: The word first appears in the form padawaan in "Journal of the Whills," a plot outline for a science fiction fantasy film that George Lucas wrote in the spring of 1973. The outline has little relation to the eventual Star Wars franchise, but closely parallels passages in the first chapter of Edgar Rice Burroughs' A Fighting Man of Mars (1930). Lucas's padawaan may have been suggested by Burroughs' coinage padwar, a junior rank in the Martian military forces. The word padawan does not appear in the Star Wars films until Star Wars Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999).

First Known Use

1999, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of padawan was in 1999

Dictionary Entries Near padawan

Cite this Entry

“Padawan.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/padawan. Accessed 17 Feb. 2025.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!