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initial

Syllabification: (in·i·tial)

Pronunciation: /iˈniSHəl/

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Definition of initial

adjective

[attributive]

existing or occurring at the beginning:our initial impression was favorable
(of a letter) at the beginning of a word.

noun

(usually initials)

the first letter of a name or word, typically a person’s name or a word forming part of a phrase:they carved their initials into the tree trunk

verb (initials, initialing, initialed ; Britishinitials, initialling, initialled)

[with object]

mark or sign (a document) with one’s initials, especially in order to authorize or validate it.
agree to or ratify (a treaty or contract) by signing it.

Origin:

early 16th century: from Latin initialis, from initium 'beginning', from inire 'go in', from in- 'into' + ire 'go'

Spelling rule

Do not double the final consonant when adding endings that begin with a vowel to a word that ends in a vowel plus a consonant, if the stress is not at the end of the word (as in target): (initials, initialing, initialed).

initial in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of initial in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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