Related Searches
Nearby Words
Synonyms

initial

 [ih-nish-uhl]   Origin

in·i·tial

   [ih-nish-uhl] adjective, noun, verb, -tialed, -tial·ing or (especially British) -tialled, -tial·ling.
adjective
1.
of, pertaining 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
3.
an initial letter, as of a word.
4.
the first letter of a proper name.
5.
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.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Initial is always a great word to know.
So is sonant. Does it mean:
any sound other than the sound of greatest sonority in a syllable
a speech sound that by itself makes a syllable or subordinates to itself the other sounds in the syllable
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
verb (used with object)
6.
to mark or sign with an initial or the initials of one's name, especially as a token of preliminary or informal approval.
Origin:
1520–30; < Latin initiālis, equivalent to initi(um) beginning (init-, noun derivative of inīre to enter, begin; in- in-2 + īre to go; compare comes) + -ium -ium) + -alis -al1

Related forms
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), -tialed, -tial·ing or (especially British) -tialled, -tial·ling.
un·in·i·tialed, adjective
EXPAND
un·in·i·tialled, adjective
COLLAPSE
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To initial
Collins
World English Dictionary
initial (ɪˈnɪʃəl)
 
—adj
1.  of, at, or concerning the beginning
 
—n
2.  the first letter of a word, esp a person's name
3.  printing a large sometimes highly decorated letter set at the beginning of a chapter or work
4.  botany a cell from which tissues and organs develop by division and differentiation; a meristematic cell
 
—vb , -tials, -tialling, -tialled, -tials, -tialing, -tialed
5.  (tr) to sign with one's initials, esp to indicate approval; endorse
 
[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]
 
in'itialer
 
—n
 
in'itialler
 
—n
 
in'itially
 
—adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

initial
1526, "of or pertaining to a beginning," from L. initialis "initial, incipient," from initium "a beginning, an entrance," from pp. stem of inire "to go into, enter upon, begin," from in- "into, in" + ire "to go" (see ion). Meaning "standing at the beginning of a word, sentence,
EXPAND
etc." (1622) led to noun sense of "initial letter of a name or surname" (1627). The verb meaning "to mark or sign with initials" is from 1864.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Partners:WordBloglinesCitysearchThe Daily BeastAsk AnswersAsk KidsLife123SendoriThesaurus
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT
How many words do you know? FIND OUT