initiatory

American  

[ih-nish-ee-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] / ɪˈnɪʃ i əˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

adjective

1. introductory; initial.

   an initiatory step toward a treaty.

2. serving to initiate or admit into a society, club, etc.

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initiatory British  

/ ɪˈnɪʃɪˌətərɪ /

adjective

1. of or concerning initiation or serving to initiate; initiative

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Other Word Forms

• initiatorily adverb

Etymology

Origin of initiatory

First recorded in 1605–15; initiate + -ory ¹

Example Sentences

That initiatory dinner consisted of mashed potatoes and jellied cranberry sauce from the can, a dish he loved because its sweet-and-sour flavor tasted faintly of home.

From New York Times • Nov. 15, 2016

With the main channel streaming white a few hundred yards ahead I settled to the oars for the sharp initiatory test I knew awaited us there.

From Down the Yellowstone by Freeman, Lewis R. (Lewis Ransome)

During this initiatory part of the trial, and until nearly four o'clock, her majesty was attended by Lord Archibald Hamilton and his sister Lady Anne, who stood close to the queen all the time.

From Secret History of the Court of England, from the Accession of George the Third to the Death of George the Fourth, Volume I (of 2) Including, Among Other Important Matters, Full Particulars of the Mysterious Death of the Princess Charlotte by Hamilton, Lady Anne

Many whose names are now prominent in histrionic art took the initiatory steps in their career under Mr. Drake’s regime here.

From The History of Louisville, from the Earliest Settlement till the Year 1852 by Casseday, Ben

As the initiatory formula usual in the epistles of Paul is wanting in this, it has been questioned whether it was really an epistle, or only a discourse intended for the general reader.

From The Christ Of Paul Or, The Enigmas of Christianity by Reber, George