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initial

[ih-nish-uh l]
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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.
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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.
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Origin of initial

1520–30; < Latin initiālis, equivalent to initi(um) beginning (init-, noun derivative of inīre to enter, begin; in- in-2 + īre to go; cf. comes) + -ium -ium) + -alis -al1
Related formsin·i·tial·er, nounin·i·tial·ly, adverbpre·in·i·tial, verb (used with object)sub·in·i·tial, verb (used with object), sub·in·i·tialed, sub·in·i·tial·ing or (especially British) sub·in·i·tialled, sub·in·i·tial·ling.un·in·i·tialed, adjectiveun·in·i·tialled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for initialed

Historical Examples

  • Even his name was initialed on the outside of the briefcase.

    Forever

    Robert Sheckley

  • Five of the drawings are signed or initialed by Jackson, with dates from 1740 to 1753.

  • She fell into the trap and said quickly that she knew no one initialed S.

    The Curved Blades

    Carolyn Wells

  • Dr. Willoughby initialed the passport, and offered his hand.

    The Star Lord

    Boyd Ellanby

  • All six shells remained in my possession until I initialed them.

    Warren Commission (7 of 26): Hearings Vol. VII (of 15)

    The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy

British Dictionary definitions for initialed

initial

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
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verb -tials, -tialling or -tialled or US -tials, -tialing or -tialed
  1. (tr) to sign with one's initials, esp to indicate approval; endorse
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Derived Formsinitialer or initialler, nouninitially, adverb

Word Origin

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
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for initialed

initial

v.

"to mark or sign with initials," 1864, American English, from initial (n.). Related: Initialed; initialing.

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initial

n.

"initial letter of a name or surname," 1620s, from initial (adj.) in a specialized sense "standing at the beginning of a word, sentence, etc."

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initial

adj.

1520s, "of or pertaining to a beginning," from Middle French initial or directly from Latin initialis "initial, incipient," from initium "a beginning, an entrance," from past participle stem of inire "to go into, enter upon, begin," from in- "into, in" (see in- (2)) + ire "to go" (see ion).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper