initial

American  

[ih-nish-uhl] / ɪˈnɪʃ əl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or occurring at the beginning; first.

   the initial step in a process.

2. Phonetics. occurring at the beginning of a word or syllable, as the (k) sound of kite, chasm, or quay.

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noun

1. an initial letter, as of a word.

2. the first letter of a proper name.

3. a letter of extra size or an ornamental character used at the beginning of a chapter or other division of a book, manuscript, or the like.

verb (used with object)

initialed, initialing, initialled, initialling

1. to mark or sign with an initial or the initials of one's name, especially as a token of preliminary or informal approval.

initial British  

/ ɪˈnɪʃəl /

adjective

1. of, at, or concerning the beginning

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noun

1. the first letter of a word, esp a person's name

2. printing a large sometimes highly decorated letter set at the beginning of a chapter or work

3. botany a cell from which tissues and organs develop by division and differentiation; a meristematic cell

verb

1. (tr) to sign with one's initials, esp to indicate approval; endorse

Other Word Forms

• initialer noun
• initially adverb
• preinitial verb (used with object)
• subinitial verb (used with object)
• uninitialed adjective

Etymology

Origin of initial

First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin initiālis, equivalent to initi(um) “beginning” ( init-, noun derivative of inīre “to enter, begin”; in- in- ² + īre “to go”; comes ) + -ium -ium ) + -alis -al ¹

Example Sentences

Carrick's initial victories over title challengers Manchester City and Arsenal were unexpected.

From BBC

Also, 80% failed to notice an initial flashing green light warning drivers to resume control of the wheel.

From The Wall Street Journal

His initial fundraising target of £500 for the the Little Princess Trust has been exceeded significantly and by Tuesday afternoon stood at £6,132.

From BBC

Howe's men did not have to wait long to take the lead when Malick Thiaw bundled in at the second attempt after his initial header was saved by Vicario in first half stoppage time.

From Barron's

First he tied up his world-leading rocket company with his artificial intelligence company; now both are rolling down the runway to the largest-ever U.S. initial public offering.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• basic
• introductory
• original