initial
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or occurring at the beginning; first.
the initial step in a process.
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Phonetics. occurring at the beginning of a word or syllable, as the (k) sound of kite, chasm, or quay.
noun
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an initial letter, as of a word.
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the first letter of a proper name.
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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.
verb (used with object)
adjective
noun
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the first letter of a word, esp a person's name
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printing a large sometimes highly decorated letter set at the beginning of a chapter or work
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botany a cell from which tissues and organs develop by division and differentiation; a meristematic cell
verb
Other Word Forms
- initialer noun
- initially adverb
- preinitial verb (used with object)
- subinitial verb (used with object)
- uninitialed adjective
Etymology
Origin of initial
First recorded in 1520–30; from Latin initiālis, equivalent to initi(um) “beginning” ( init-, noun derivative of inīre “to enter, begin”; in- in- 2 + īre “to go”; comes ) + -ium -ium ) + -alis -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some residents claim East Lothian Council ignored a petition with 7,000 signatures on a "technicality," while an initial consultation attracted hundreds of objections.
From BBC
Jacob Funk Kirkegaard of V22 Research wrote in a note Saturday that the initial operation appears designed to weaken Iran’s ability to coordinate retaliation by targeting leadership and missile infrastructure.
From Barron's
Months after the film’s initial production wrapped, a reshoot was scheduled for the new, crowd-pleasing ending.
From Salon
Civilian impact on the ground in Iran remains unclear, with no confirmed casualty figures from the initial strikes.
From Salon
It took an individual actor just a month after their initial breach to carry out the assault, according to Gambit.
From MarketWatch
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
