initiate

English

Pronunciation

• (verb) IPA^(key): /ɪˈnɪʃ.i.eɪt/, /ɪˈnɪʃ.ɪ.eɪt/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

  • Rhymes: -ɪʃieɪt
• (noun, adjective) IPA^(key): /ɪˈnɪʃ.i.ət/, /ɪˈnɪʃ.ɪ.ət/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Hyphenation: ini‧ti‧ate

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Latin initiātus, perfect passive participle of initiō (“to begin, originate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from initium (“a beginning”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix), from initus (“an entrance, coming in, approach”) + -ium, from ineō + -tus, from in- + eō (“to go”). Cognate with French initier.

Verb

initiate (third-person singular simple present initiates, present participle initiating, simple past and past participle initiated)

1. (transitive) To begin; to start.
   • 1860, Isaac Taylor, “(please specify the page)”, in Ultimate Civilization and Other Essays, London: Bell and Daldy […], →OCLC:

     How are changes of this sort to be initiated?

   • 1961 February, Max Euwe, “How to Win in the Ending”, in Chess Review:

     This is a very strong move, aptly timed. It initiates the tactical conception which routs Black's hopes.

   • 1978, David Dhlalangami Maforo, Black-white Relations in Kenya Game Policy, page 5:

     Indigenous people, such as agriculturists, hunters, and pastoralists initiated a system of totemism and tabooism which in essence was a natural law against killing and eating certain animals.

   • 2011, Jim Baggott, The First War of Physics, Pegasus Books, →ISBN:

     A U235 bomb would therefore need to incorporate a gun weighing ten tons. Then there was the question of initiating or triggering the bomb.

   • 2014, David L. Elliott, Ultraviolet Laser Technology and Applications, page 320:

     Prior to firing the laser, a surgeon can preilluminate the area to be cut or ablated, enlarge or reduce the area, shape, or size, and then initiate the UV laser pulses for the actual ablation.

   • 2021 February 24, Encyclopedia of Virology, Academic Press, →ISBN, page 43:

     With the exception of anelloviruses, bidnaviruses, spiraviruses, and some inoviruses, the replicative protein of ssDNA viruses is the so-called HUH endonuclease that cuts genomic DNA at a specific site and initiates rolling circle (or rolling hairpin) replication.

   • 2026 March 18, Greg Morse, “1996 crash driving freight reforms”, in RAIL, number 1057, page 51:

     Hall found the immediate cause at Rickerscote to have been the complete fracture of an axle on STS 53241, the freight train's ninth wagon. The fracture had been caused by fatigue initiated by corrosion pitting on the axle surface.

2. (transitive) To instruct in the rudiments or principles; to introduce.
   • 1653, Henry More, An Antidote against Atheisme, or An Appeal to the Natural Faculties of the Minde of Man, whether There Be Not a God, London: […] Roger Daniel, […], →OCLC:

     Divine Providence would only initiate and enter mankind into the useful knowledge of her, leaving the rest to employ our industry.

   • 1693, [John Locke], “§94”, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education, London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], →OCLC:

     to initiate his pupil in any part of learning

3. (transitive) To confer membership on; especially, to admit to a secret order with mysterious rites or ceremonies.
   • 1738–1741, William Warburton, The Divine Legation of Moses […], volume (please specify |volume=I, II.1, or II.2), London: […] Fletcher Gyles, […], →OCLC:

     The Athenians believed that he who was initiated and instructed in the mysteries would obtain celestial honour after death.

   • 1714 August 15 (Gregorian calendar), [Joseph Addison], “WEDNESDAY, August 4, 1714”, in The Spectator, number 576; republished in Alexander Chalmers, editor, The Spectator; a New Edition, […], volume VI, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton & Company, 1853, →OCLC:

     He was initiated into half a dozen clubs before he was one and twenty.

     The spelling has been modernized.

4. (intransitive) To do the first act; to perform the first rite; to take the initiative.
   • 1725–1726, Homer, “Book 3”, in [William Broome, Elijah Fenton, Alexander Pope], transl., The Odyssey of Homer. […], London: […] Bernard Lintot, →OCLC:

     The king himself initiates to the power; Scatters with quivering hand the sacred flour, And the stream sprinkles.

Synonyms

• (to begin): commence, institute

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “to begin”): stop, end, cease

  • (to end temporarily) pause, halt, suspend
  • (to end incompletely) discontinue
  • (to end completely) finish, conclude, complete

Derived terms

• initiatee
• initiatic
• noninitiated
• noninitiating
• overinitiate
• overinitiated
• photoinitiate
• photoinitiated
• preinitiated
• reinitiate
• self-initiate
• uninitiate
• uninitiated

Related terms

• initiable
• initial
• initialism
• initialize
• initials
• initiation
• initiative
• initiator

Translations

to begin; to start

• Albanian: nis (sq)
• Bulgarian: запо́чвам (bg) impf (zapóčvam), поставям начало (postavjam načalo)
• Czech: iniciovat (cs)
• Dutch: beginnen (nl), starten (nl), aanvangen (nl), initiëren (nl)
• Esperanto: iniciati
• Finnish: käynnistää (fi), aloittaa (fi), panna alulle
• French: commencer (fr), démarrer (fr), initier (fr)
• German: beginnen (de)
• Ido: iniciar (io)
• Italian: iniziare (it)
• Japanese: 始める (ja) (hajimeru), 取り掛かる (ja) (torikakaru), 開始する (kaishi suru)
• Norwegian: sette i gang
• Persian: آغازیدن (fa), آغازاندن
• Russian: инициировать (ru) impf (iniciirovatʹ)
• Swedish: initiera (sv), inleda (sv), påbörja (sv), sätta igång (sv)
• Tagalog: magsimula, mag-umpisa

to instruct in the rudiments

• Bulgarian: посвещавам (bg) (posveštavam)
• Finnish: johdattaa (fi), opastaa (fi)
• German: einführen (de)
• Italian: introdurre (it)
• Polish: wtajemniczać (pl) impf, wtajemniczyć (pl) pf

to confer membership on

• Bulgarian: въвеждам (bg) (vǎveždam), лансирам (bg) (lansiram)
• Czech: zasvětit
• Esperanto: inici
• Finnish: vihkiä (fi)
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: μυέω (muéō)

  Ancient Greek: τελίσκω (telískō)

• Italian: iniziare (it), inserire (it)
• Latin: initiō
• Swedish: uppta (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 伊始^{(please verify)} 开始 (zh) (kāishǐ), ^{(please verify)} 着手 (zh) (zhuóshǒu)

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} ekestigi
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} iniziare (it), ^{(please verify)} cominciare (it), ^{(please verify)} presentare (it)
• Latin: ^{(please verify)} initio

To do the first act

• Albanian: nis (sq)
• Arabic: بَادَرَ (bādara)
• Kapampangan: panimunan

See also

• resume (to begin where one left off)

Etymology 2

From a substantivization of the adjective, see -ate (noun-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more. Cognate with French initié (“an initiate, neophyte”).

Noun

initiate (plural initiates)

2. A new member of an organization.
4. One who has been through a ceremony of initiation.
6. One who is oriented in and familiar with a topic or subject; especially, one who is an expert in it.

   Antonyms: noninitiate, novice

   Coordinate terms: expert, nonexpert; layperson, amateur, dilettante; insider, old hand; journeyman, master; learner, student, teacher

Translations

A new member of an organization

• Arabic: عضو جديد
• Bulgarian: новопосветен m (novoposveten)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 新成员

• Dutch: beginner (nl) m
• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} adepto (eo)
• Finnish: tulokas (fi), uusi jäsen
• German: Eingeweihter (de) m, Eingeweihte (de) f, Initiierter m, Initiierte f
• Italian: novizio (it)
• Spanish: iniciado (es) m

One who has been through a ceremony of initiation

• Armenian: հաղորդյալ (haġordyal), միստ (mist)
• Czech: zasvěcenec
• Dutch: ingewijde (nl) m or f
• Finnish: tulokas (fi)
• French: initié (fr)
• German: Eingeweihter (de) m, Eingeweihte (de) f
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: μύστης m (mústēs)

• Hungarian: beavatott (hu)
• Italian: iniziato (it)
• Polish: wtajemniczony m
• Spanish: iniciado (es) m

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Latin initiātus, see -ate (adjective-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more.

Adjective

initiate (comparative more initiate, superlative most initiate)

1. (obsolete) Unpracticed, untried, new.
   • c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv]:

     the initiate fear that wants hard use

2. (obsolete) Begun, commenced, introduced to or in the rudiments (of), newly admitted.
   • 1744, [Edward Young], “Night the Sixth. The Infidel Reclaim’d. In Two Parts. Containing, the Nature, Proof, and Importance of Immortality. Part the First. […]”, in The Complaint: Or, Night-Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality, London: […] R[obert] Dodsley […], →OCLC, page 6:

     To rise in science as in bliss, / Initiate in the secrets of the skies.

Further reading

• “initiate”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “initiate”, in The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia: […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “initiate”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Latin

Participle

initiāte

1. vocative masculine singular of initiātus