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.

---

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

---

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

The initial pilot scheme, which will launch in March 2026, will offer around 150 under-25s a year of paid experience and training in the armed forces "without a commitment beyond the course".

From Barron's

During the initial training phase, developers feed the model massive amounts of data up to a specific cutoff date, which the model breaks into “tokens,” or pieces of words or phrases.

From MarketWatch

It is understood the Treasury has received an initial valuation for covering the Bayeux Tapestry that has been provisionally approved.

From BBC

The truce went into effect at noon local time, and initial reports from settlements along the 500-mile border suggested that clashes had indeed stopped.

From The Wall Street Journal

Dark fiber was a case of supply racing ahead of demand, whereas modern AI infrastructure is a case of demand pulling supply forward, supporting higher initial returns on capital deployed.

From Barron's

Related Words

• basic
• introductory
• original