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prentices

Noun
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An archaic form of "apprentices," referring to youth bound by contract to learn a trade; common in historical and narrative verse.

Detailed Definition
A prentice is an older form of apprentice, especially common in early modern English. Donne’s phrase points to young shop workers who would be up early, unlike the lovers he is addressing.
Example
Example in poetry:
“Late school boys and sour prentices” places apprentices among weary urban workers; A prentice is an older form of apprentice, someone learning a trade; Blake’s London recalls chimney-sweepers and exploited young laborers; “The prentices banked the forge at dusk,” situates the word in craft practice
Additional Notes
The word in "Late school boys and sour prentices" is an old spelling and older term for apprentices, so modern readers may not recognize it immediately.; Found in the poem, The Sun Rising by John Donne
Also Known As
apprentices novices learners
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