initial

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɪˈnɪʃ.ᵊl/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Middle French initial or directly from Latin initiālis (“initial, of the beginning”),^[2][3] from initium (“a beginning, an entrance”),^[2][4] the noun use of the neuter past participle of inīre (“to go into, enter upon, begin”),^[2][5] from in- (“into”) and īre (“to go”),^[2][4] from Proto-Indo-European *ei- (“to go”),^[2] the root also of Sanskrit éti and Greek eîmi “goes, go”.^[5] It is related to initiate, initiative and exit.^[5][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of or pertaining to a beginning: 1526 in the OED and Barnhart,^[6][4] the 1520s in Etymonline.^[2]

Semantic evolution

“Standing at the beginning of a word or paragraph” is from 1622,^[6] the 1620s in Etymonline,^[2] which led to the noun, the first letter of a name, in 1627 according to Barnhart and Merriam-Webster.^[4][3] The verb, to mark or sign with initials, is from 1837 in Etymonline^[2] and 1864, American English, in Barnhart and the OED.^[4][6] In mathematics initial conditions are from 1834,^[6] and the initial teaching alphabet, a 44-letter phonetic alphabet, from 1962.^[6]

Timeline

• 1526 – of a beginning.^[6][4]
• 1622 – standing at the beginning of a word.^[6]
• 1627 – noun, the first letter of a name.^[4][3]
• 1834 – initial conditions.^[6]
• 1837 – verb, to sign with initials.^[2]
• 1962 – initial teaching alphabet.^[6]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Of or occurring at the beginning; first.
2. Of a letter, standing at the beginning of a word.

Noun

1. The first letter of a name, or initials, the first letters of a person's names.
2. A large, often decorated letter at the beginning of a chapter or manuscript section.

Verb

1. To mark or sign with one's initials, as a sign of approval.

Word family

• initially
• initialness
• initialer
• preinitial
• initialism
• initial teaching alphabet

Related words

• initiate
• initiation
• initiative
• initialize
• exit
• itinerary
• commence

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
5. ^ a b c Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press