initial
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From French, from Latin initialis (“of the beginning, incipient, initial”), from initium (“a going in, entrance, beginning”), from inire (“to go in, enter upon, begin”), from in (“in”) + ire (“to go”).
Pronunciation[edit]
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Audio (US) (file)
Adjective[edit]
initial (not comparable)
- Chronologically first, early; of or pertaining to the beginning, cause or origin.
- Our initial admiration for their efficiency gave way to disgust about their methods.
- The initial stages of a syndrome may differ vastly from the final symptoms.
- 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 19, The China Governess[1]:
- Meanwhile Nanny Broome was recovering from her initial panic and seemed anxious to make up for any kudos she might have lost, by exerting her personality to the utmost. She took the policeman's helmet and placed it on a chair, and unfolded his tunic to shake it and fold it up again for him.
- Spatially first, placed at the beginning, in the first position; especially said of the first letter of a word.
- The initial letter of names is usually printed with a capital letter.
- 1893, Walter Besant, “Prologue”, in The Ivory Gate:
- Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language, he expressed the important words by an initial, a medial, or a final consonant, and made scratches for all the words between; his clerks, however, understood him very well.
Synonyms[edit]
Antonyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
Chronologically first, early; of or pertaining to the beginning
Spatially first, placed at the beginning, in the first position
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.
Noun[edit]
initial (plural initials)
- The first letter of a word or a name.
- In plural, the first letter of each word of a person's full name considered as a unit
- You can get your initials printed at the top.
- (typography, calligraphy) A distinguished initial letter of a chapter or section of a document.
- (phonology) onset, part of a syllable that precedes the syllable nucleus in phonetics and phonology.
Synonyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
first letter of a word
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first letters of a person's name as a unit
calligraphy: distinguished initial letter
first part of a syllable (onset)
Verb[edit]
initial (third-person singular simple present initials, present participle initialing or initialling, simple past and past participle initialed or initialled)
- (transitive) To sign one's initial(s), as an abbreviated signature.
- Please initial each page and sign the contract in full at the bottom.
Translations[edit]
to sign one's initial(s)
See also[edit]
Related terms[edit]
External links[edit]
- initial in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
- initial in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
- initial at OneLook Dictionary Search
French[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Latin initialis, from initium 'beginning'
Adjective[edit]
initial m (feminine initiale, masculine plural initials, feminine plural initiales)
