initial
Meanings
Plural: initials
Noun
- the first letter of a word (especially a person's name)
- "he refused to put the initials FRS after his name"
- The first letter of a word or a name.
- In plural, the first letter of each word of a person's full name considered as a unit.
- A distinguished initial letter of a chapter or section of a document.
- onset, part of a syllable that precedes the syllable nucleus in phonetics and phonology.
Verb
- mark with one's initials
- To sign one's initial(s), as an abbreviated signature.
Adjective Satellite
- occurring at the beginning
- "took the initial step toward reconciliation"
Adj
- Chronologically first, early; of or pertaining to the beginning, cause or origin.
- Spatially first, placed at the beginning, in the first position; especially said of the first letter of a word.
Origin / Etymology
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”).
Synonyms
beginning, commencing, drop cap, earliest, first, inceptive, incipient, initial, maiden, nascent, opening, original, primary, prime, primeval, primordial, starting, versal
Scrabble Score: 7
initial is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL wordinitial is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
initial is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary