Initial
Pronunciation
Origin
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").
Full definition of initial
Adjective
initial
- 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, The China Governess Chapter 19, 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, The Ivory Gate Chapter Prologue, 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.
Antonyms
Derived terms
Noun
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 unitYou can get your initials printed at the top.
- (typesetting, 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.