initiate

English

Etymology

(deprecated template usage)

Borrowed from Latin initiātus, perfect passive participle of initiō (“begin, originate”), from initium (“a beginning”), from ineō (“go in, enter upon, begin”), from in + eō (“go”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪˈnɪʃɪeɪt/
• Hyphenation: ini‧ti‧ate

Noun

initiate (plural initiates)

1. A new member of an organization.
2. One who has been through a ceremony of initiation.

Translations

A new member of an organization

• Arabic: عضو جديد
• Bulgarian: новопосветен m (novoposveten)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 新成员

• Dutch: beginner (nl) m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Finnish: tulokas (fi), uusi jäsen
• German: Eingeweihter m, Eingeweihte f, Initiierter m, Initiierte f
• Italian: novizio (it)

One who has been through a ceremony of initiation

• Czech: zasvěcenec
• Dutch: ingewijde (nl) m or f
• Finnish: tulokas (fi)
• French: initié (fr)
• German: Eingeweihter m, Eingeweihte f
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek:

  Ancient: μύστης m (mústēs)

• Hungarian: beavatott (hu)
• Italian: iniziato (it)
• Polish: wtajemniczony m

Verb

1. (transitive) To begin; to start.
   • (Can we date this quote by I. Taylor and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     How are changes of this sort to be initiated?

2. To instruct in the rudiments or principles; to introduce.
   • (Can we date this quote by Dr. H. More and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     Providence would only initiate mankind into the useful knowledge of her treasures, leaving the rest to employ our industry.

   • (Can we date this quote by John Locke and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     To initiate his pupil into any part of learning, an ordinary skill in the governor is enough.

3. To confer membership on; especially, to admit to a secret order with mysterious rites or ceremonies.
   • (Can we date this quote by Bishop Warburton and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     The Athenians believed that he who was initiated and instructed in the mysteries would obtain celestial honour after death.

   • {{rfdatek|en|Spectator

     He was initiated into half a dozen clubs before he was one and twenty.

4. (intransitive) To do the first act; to perform the first rite; to take the initiative.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Alexander Pope to this entry?)

Antonyms

• (to begin): end, conclude, complete, finish

Related terms

• commence
• initiable
• initial
• initials
• initialism

• initialize
• initiation
• initiative
• initiator

Translations

to begin; to start

• Bulgarian: започвам (bg) (započvam), поставям начало (postavjam načalo)
• Czech: iniciovat (cs)
• Dutch: beginnen (nl), starten (nl), aanvangen (nl), initiëren (nl)
• Finnish: käynnistää (fi), aloittaa (fi), panna alulle
• French: commencer (fr), démarrer (fr), initier (fr)
• German: beginnen (de)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Ido: iniciar (io)
• Japanese: 始める (ja) (hajimeru), 取り掛かる (torikakaru), 開始する (kaishi suru)
• Norwegian: sette i gang
• Russian: инициировать (ru) impf (iniciirovatʹ)
• Swedish: initiera (sv), inleda (sv), påbörja (sv), sätta igång (sv)

to instruct in the rudiments

• Bulgarian: посвещавам (bg) (posveštavam)
• Finnish: johdattaa (fi), opastaa (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• German: einführen (de)
• Polish: wtajemniczać (pl) impf, wtajemniczyć (pl) pf

to confer membership on

• Bulgarian: въвеждам (bg) (vǎveždam), лансирам (bg) (lansiram)
• Czech: zasvětit
• Finnish: vihkiä (fi)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek:

  Ancient: τελίσκω (telískō)

• Swedish: uppta (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 伊始^{(please verify)} 开始 (zh) (kāishǐ), ^{(please verify)} 着手 (zh) (zhuóshǒu)

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} ekestigi, ^{(please verify)} iniciati
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} iniziare (it), ^{(please verify)} cominciare (it), ^{(please verify)} presentare (it)
• Latin: ^{(please verify)} initio

Adjective

initiate (comparative more initiate, superlative most initiate)

1. (obsolete) Unpractised; untried; new.
   • (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     the initiate fear that wants hard use

2. (obsolete) Begun; commenced; introduced to, or instructed in, the rudiments; newly admitted.
   • (Can we date this quote by Young and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     To rise in science as in bliss, / Initiate in the secrets of the skies.

Further reading

• “initiate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “initiate”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “initiate”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

---

Latin

Participle

(deprecated template usage) initiāte

1. vocative masculine singular of initiātus