initial
- 01 B1 Intermediate
adj.happening at the very beginning of a process or situation.
adj.occurring at the beginning; relating to the first stage of a process.
Simple“My initial reaction to the news was surprise, but then I felt happy.”
In context“The initial phase of the project focused on gathering data before any strategic decisions were made by the board.”
- 02 B1 Intermediate
n.the first letter of a person's name.
n.the first letter of a word or a name, typically used in the plural to refer to the first letters of all a person's names.
Simple“He has his initials, J.B., sewn onto his travel bag.”
In context“The silver locket was engraved with the initials of her great-grandmother, though the metal had tarnished over the decades.”
Synonyms - 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to write the first letters of your name on a document to show you agree.
v.to mark or sign a document with one's initials, often as a preliminary or informal signature. Transitive use requiring a direct object.
Simple“Please initial each page of the contract at the bottom.”
In context“The legal assistant requested that the client initial every amendment to ensure the changes were officially acknowledged before filing.”
Usage initial public · initial loan · initial quake
“The initial quake was followed by several aftershocks.”
“On Saturday, NSW police said in a statement that initial inquiries indicated Hooper reached the summit of Bonnum Pic about mid-morning on Wednesday, but had made no further contact since then.”
From Middle French initial or directly from its Latin etymon initiālis (“of the beginning, incipient, initial”), from initium (“a going in, entrance, beginning”), from inire (“to go in, enter upon, begin”), from in (“in”) + ire (“to go”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.