# initial

Pronunciation: say "i-NISH-uhl" /ɪˈnɪʃəl/

## Adjective

1. Coming first in time, order, or position; at the beginning of something.
   - Simple: Happening or coming first, at the start of something.
   - _Her initial reaction was surprise, which soon turned to delight._
   - _Investigators traced the fire back to an initial spark in the wiring._

## Noun

2. The first letter of a word or name, especially the first letter of each part of a person's full name.
   - Simple: The first letter of a name or word, like J for the name John.
   - _Each suitcase was monogrammed with the owner's initials._
   - _She drew an ornate initial at the start of her signature._
4. A large or decorated first letter marking the opening of a chapter or section of a text.
   - Simple: A large or fancy first letter at the start of a chapter or section.
   - _The manuscript's red initial stretched down three lines of text._
   - _Medieval scribes often adorned each initial with gold leaf and intricate vines._

## Verb

3. To mark a document with one's initials as an abbreviated form of signature.
   - Simple: To write your initials on something to show you have read or agreed to it.
   - _The manager asked us to initial every correction on the report._
   - _He initialed the margin to confirm he had reviewed the changes._

## Other meanings

- (noun) The onset of a syllable: the consonant sound or sounds before its nucleus, which is usually a vowel.

## Origin

From Middle French initial or directly from its Latin source initiālis (“of the beginning, initial”), from initium (“an entrance, beginning”), which comes from inire (“to go in, begin”), formed from in (“in”) plus ire (“to go”).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/initial (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).