padawan

noun

pad·​a·​wan ˈpa-də-ˌwän 

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

The new series stars Lee Jung-jae and Amandla Stenberg, the former playing Sol, a revered Jedi master, and the latter playing Mae, his one-time padawan, who’s grown into a dangerous warrior. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2024

As relieved as the padawan was to see Beq, fans were equally shocked to see that the man playing Grogu's savior was none other than Jar Jar Binks himself, Ahmed Best. —Dalton Ross, EW.com, 12 May 2023

All told, though, the season has offered plenty to delight fans, including a detour involving Hayden Christensen reprising the role of Anakin Skywalker, for the first time encountering his former padawan in a live-action setting. —Brian Lowry, CNN, 20 Sep. 2023

The Force-sensitive teenager became an apprentice to Kanan Jarrus, the leader of the Spectres and a Jedi who survived Order 66 as a young padawan himself. —Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2023

Members of the Ghost crew included Ahsoka, Mandalorian warrior Sabine Wren (voiced by Tiya Sircar), pilot Hera Syndulla (Vanessa Marshall), Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus (Freddie Prinze Jr.), and Kanan's padawan, Ezra Bridger (Taylor Gray). —Megan McCluskey, Time, 23 Aug. 2023

These altogether tell the story of Ahsoka, from Jedi padawan to Jedi exile to a hero in the rebellion. —Eric Francisco, Men's Health, 22 Aug. 2023

The Disney+ series expands on the story of Jedi knight Obi-Wan and his former padawan (apprentice) Darth Vader. —Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 11 Aug. 2023

On May 4, the Disney streaming service will launch a limited series that explores the trials Obi-Wan Kenobi faced after his padawan, Anakin Skywalker, turned to the dark side. —Zarnon Kalgon, Popular Mechanics, 20 Jan. 2022

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