initiale

See also: Initiale

French

Etymology

• (Meaning 1 from the noun) From French lettre initiale.
• (Meaning 2 from the noun) From French consonne initiale.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /i.ni.sjal/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

initiale

1. feminine singular of initial
   • 2009 April 24, Michel Mortier, “Nous avons vu la Normandie … Congrès annuel 2009 (24, 25 et 26 avril 2009) [We Have Seen Normandy…Annual Conference 2009 (24, 25 and 26 April 2009)]”, in Fédération des Moulins de France [Federation of the Mills of France]‎^[1], SB, archived from the original on 24 August 2024:

     Pour retrouver la hauteur de chute initiale (2m50), il a fallu désalluvionner de 1m le canal de fuite, soutenir le chemin communal qui le longeait, renforcer les murs du moulin pour fixer la structure qui supporterait les turbines.

     To get back to the original drop height (2.5 m), it was necessary to get rid of de-alluvialize the tailrace by 1 m, to maintain the town road that ran along it, and to reinforce the walls of the mill to fix the structure that would support the turbines.

Noun

initiale f (plural initiales)

1. initial (first letter of a word, of a name, of a first name)

   Les initiales de son nom sont PQ.

   The initials of his name are PQ.

   • 1937, Georges Simenon, chapter III, in Le Blanc à lunettes [The Bespectacled White Man], Éditions Gallimard:

     Elle notait surtout deux petites pochettes en toile blanche, brodées chacune d’une initiale, et qui contenaient les serviettes.

     Above all, she noted two small pouches in white canvas, each embroidered with an initial, and which contained the towels.

   • 1981, Gaston Cherpillod, Les Changelins [The Changelings], Éditions L'Âge d'Homme, page 147:

     J’avais oublié le cran d’arrêt : je pèse sur cette languette amovible qui poussée en arrière découvre une lettre majuscule gravée, une esse, initiale du mot sûreté.

     I had forgotten about the safety catch: I press down on this removable tab which, when pushed back, reveals an engraved capital letter, an ess, the initial of the word safety.

   • 1994 November 5, Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick, directed by John Pasquin, Super Noël [Super Christmas (original title: The Santa Clause)] (Blu–ray), spoken by Scott Calvin and Santa Claus (Tim Allen), Walt Disney Pictures; distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution:

     Charlie Calvin (Eric Lloyd): S. C. ? / Scott Calvin (Tim Allen): — Oui. Santa Claus. / Charlie Calvin (Eric Lloyd): Eh ! Ce sont les mêmes initiales que ton nom. Scott Calvin.

     Charlie Calvin (Eric Lloyd): S.C.? / Scott Calvin (Tim Allen): — Yeah. Santa Claus. / Charlie Calvin (Eric Lloyd): Hey! They're the same initials as your name. Scott Calvin.

2. (linguistics) initial, onset (first consonantal phoneme in a syllable. Often used in the study of Chinese languages)

Synonyms

• attaque

Antonyms

• finale

Further reading

• “initiale”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

German

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

initiale

1. inflection of initial:
   1. strong/mixed nominative/accusative feminine singular
   2. strong nominative/accusative plural
   3. weak nominative all-gender singular
   4. weak accusative feminine/neuter singular

Latin

Adjective

initiāle

1. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter singular of initiālis