'aprendiz' originates from Latin, specifically from the verb 'apprehendere', where 'ad-' (later assimilated to 'ap-') meant 'to/toward' and 'prehendere' meant 'to grasp/take hold of'.

'aprendiz' changed from Vulgar Latin *apprehendīcus (an agent-related form) into Old Spanish apren(d)iz and eventually became the modern Spanish word 'aprendiz'.

Initially it meant 'one who grasps or seizes (literally)', with a sense of 'one who takes hold (of knowledge)', and over time it evolved into the current meaning 'an apprentice or learner'.