initial
Use Initial in a sentence
in·i·tial
[ih-nish-uh
l] adjective, noun, verb, in·i·tialed, in·i·tial·ing or (especially British) in·i·tialled, in·i·tial·ling. adjective
1.
of, pertaining to, or occurring at the beginning; first: the initial step in a process.
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.
00:10
Initial
is always a great word to know.
So is point. Does it mean:
| For the 'l' sound, having front-vowel resonance; situated before a vowel in the same syllable; produced without frication or aspiration |
| a diacritic indicating a vowel or other modification of sound |
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; cf. comes) + -ium -ium) + -alis -al1
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 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), 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, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
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Link To initial
Collins
World English Dictionary
initial (ɪˈnɪʃəl) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —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'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
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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,
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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Cite This Source
Example sentences
Their initial bliss was soon dispelled by an unwelcome development.
As you might have guessed, this is a positive feedback that amplifies the initial climate perturbation.
Show how punctuation is related to sense, how and when a compound word is used, the significance of capital initial letters.
He has not yet incorporated the material into a working solar cell, but his initial experimental results look promising.
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