initial

[ ih-nish-uhl ]

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)

, in·i·tialed, in·i·tial·ing or (especially British) in·i·tialled, in·i·tial·ling.

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

/ 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

Derived Forms

• inˈitially, adverb
• inˈitialer, noun

Other Words From

• in·i·tial·er noun
• in·i·tial·ly adverb
• pre·in·i·tial verb (used with object)
• sub·in·i·tial verb (used with object) subinitialed subinitialing or (especially British) subinitialled subinitialling
• un·in·i·tialed (especially British) un·in·i·tialled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of initial¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of initial¹

C16: from Latin initiālis of the beginning, from initium beginning, literally: an entering upon, from inīre to go in, from in- ² + īre to go

Example Sentences

However, going beyond these monetization efforts “isn’t the initial focus” of Verify’s roll-out, Ostrow said.

From Digiday

The initial reaction to Mori’s outburst among Japan’s elderly, conservative male elite was to brush off the outrage.

From Washington Post

An initial project I’m looking into involves sensitive questions for specific groups.

From Freakonomics

Instead, the Housing Commission decided it should seek data to support the research project since the consultants that responded to the initial request didn’t have utility data the agency decided it wanted to use – and getting it would take a while.

From Voice of San Diego

The initial alerts came to the attention of the Lincoln Project in early August in the form of inquiries about Weaver from the New York Post.

From Washington Blade

“The U.S. Navy will attain IOC [initial operational capability] in 2018 with 3F software,” DellaVedova wrote.

From The Daily Beast

In an interview with ESPN, Jaffe recalled his initial meeting with Stuart Scott.

From The Daily Beast

Typically, aircraft will work in pairs where the flight lead will make an initial pass to mark a target with rockets.

From The Daily Beast

They maintain that the initial radicalization tends to occur offline before it is then reinforced online.

From The Daily Beast

What follows is some of my initial reporting on the rise of the group, published in Wingnuts.

From The Daily Beast

The initial syllables of Ulysses and of Rutherford make an inclusion by sound.

From Project Gutenberg

Sometimes only the initial consonants of the words or phrases or sentences are used.

From Project Gutenberg

Lower initial cost and lower operation expense are factors which especially recommend the light-weight models.

From Project Gutenberg

It is true, I could see them; but not with sufficient distinctness to insure the proper insertion of the initial threads.

From Project Gutenberg

It was the initial stroke of a young man I propose to adopt into my home and heart; the same who brought you here to-night.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• basic
• introductory
• original