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

SpaceX is expected to file soon for an initial public offering later this year.

From Barron's

"I think the referee was in a very good position when he gave the initial decision," former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson said on BBC Radio 5 live.

From BBC

SpaceX’s initial public offering, the capital markets event of the decade, is almost here—and investors are trying to figure out what it means for Tesla stock.

From Barron's

While the statement led to an initial dip in oil prices, crude prices subsequently resumed their rise in the early hours of Friday.

From Barron's

Even at public universities, which have the best outcomes repaymentwise among parents who take on the debt, borrowers still owe 47% of their initial balance after 10 years.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• basic
• introductory
• original