Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An inexperienced or immature person, especially one who is easily deceived.
  • noun A newcomer, especially one who is unfamiliar with the ways of a place or group.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A raw, inexperienced person; one unacquainted with the world or with local customs, and therefore easily imposed upon.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A raw, inexperienced person; one easily imposed upon.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun an inexperienced person; a novice, beginner or newcomer

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun an awkward and inexperienced youth

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English greene horn, horn of a newly slaughtered animal : grene, green; see green + horn, horn; see horn.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Unconfirmed. Hypotheses include:

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Examples

Comments

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  • None of that greenhorn lot matched her bright crown

    from "The Queen's Complaint," Sylvia Plath

    April 14, 2008