Adjacent Words

Initial definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

INI'TIAL, a. [L. initialis, initium, beginning.]
1. Beginning; placed at the beginning; as the initial letters of a name.
2. Beginning; incipient; as the initial symptoms of a disease.
INI'TIAL, n. The first letter of a name.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: occurring at the beginning; "took the initial step toward reconciliation" n
1: the first letter of a word (especially a person's name); "he refused to put the initials FRS after his name" v
1: mark with one's initials

Merriam Webster's

I. adjective Etymology: Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French iniciel, from Latin initialis, from initium beginning, from inire to go into, from in- + ire to go — more at issue Date: 1526 1. of or relating to the beginning ; incipient <his initial reaction> 2. placed at the beginning ; first <the initial word of the verse> • initially adverb • initialness noun II. noun Date: 1627 1. a. the first letter of a name b. plural the first letter of each word in a full name <found that their initials were identical> 2. a large letter beginning a text or a division or paragraph 3. anlage, precursor; specifically a meristematic cell III. transitive verb (initialed or initialled; initialing or initialling) Date: circa 1864 1. to affix an initial to 2. to authenticate or give preliminary approval to by affixing the initials of an authorizing representative

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj., n., & v. --adj. of, existing, or occurring at the beginning (initial stage; initial expenses). --n. 1 = initial letter. 2 (usu. in pl.) the first letter or letters of the words of a (esp. a person's) name or names. --v.tr. (initialled, initialling; US initialed, initialing) mark or sign with one's initials. Phrases and idioms: initial letter (or consonant) a letter or consonant at the beginning of a word. initial teaching alphabet a 44-letter phonetic alphabet used to help those beginning to read and write English. Derivatives: initially adv. Etymology: L initialis f. initium beginning f. inire init- go in

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Initial In*i"tial, a. [L. initialis, from initium a going in, entrance, beginning, fr. inire to go into, to enter, begin; pref. in- in + ire to go: cf. F. initial. See Issue, and cf. Commence.] 1. Of or pertaining to the beginning; marking the commencement; incipient; commencing; as, the initial symptoms of a disease. 2. Placed at the beginning; standing at the head, as of a list or series; as, the initial letters of a name.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Initial In*i"tial, n. The first letter of a word or a name.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Initial In*i"tial, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Initialed; p. pr. & vb. n. Initialing.] To put an initial to; to mark with an initial of initials. [R.]

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(initials, initialling, initialled) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. Note: in AM, use 'initialing', 'initialed' 1. You use initial to describe something that happens at the beginning of a process. The initial reaction has been excellent... ADJ: ADJ n 2. Initials are the capital letters which begin each word of a name. For example, if your full name is Michael Dennis Stocks, your initials will be M.D.S. ...a silver Porsche car with her initials JB on the side. N-COUNT: usu pl, oft poss N 3. If someone initials an official document, they write their initials on it, for example to show that they have seen it or that they accept or agree with it. Would you mind initialing this voucher?... VERB: V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. a. 1. First, at the beginning, at the head. 2. Incipient, commencing, beginning, in the first stages. II. n. First letter (of a name).

Moby Thesaurus

OK, abecedarian, aboriginal, accept, accredit, affirm, alpha, alphabet, alphabetize, amen, antecedent, antenatal, approve, authenticate, authorize, autochthonous, autograph, basic, beginning, breaking-in, budding, capitalize, certify, character, commencing, confirm, cosign, countersign, creative, earliest, early, elemental, elementary, embryonic, endorse, fetal, first, first blush, first glance, first impression, first inning, first lap, first move, first round, first sight, first stage, first step, foremost, formative, foundational, fundamental, gambit, germinal, gestatory, give permission, give the go-ahead, give the imprimatur, give thumbs up, headmost, in embryo, in its infancy, in the bud, inaugural, inceptive, inchoate, inchoative, incipient, incunabular, infant, infantile, initiative, initiatory, inscribe, introductory, inventive, le premier pas, leading, letter, maiden, mark, monogram, nascent, natal, notarize, opening, opening move, original, parturient, pass, pass on, pass upon, permit, pioneer, postnatal, pregnant, prenatal, primal, primary, prime, primeval, primitive, primitiveness, primitivity, primogenial, procreative, ratify, rubber stamp, rudimental, rudimentary, sanction, say amen to, seal, second, sign, sign and seal, subscribe to, support, swear and affirm, swear to, transcribe, transliterate, undersign, underwrite, ur, validate, visa, vise, warming-up, warrant