initiative

From French initiative, from Medieval Latin *initiativus (“serving to initiate”), from Late Latin initiare (“to begin, Latin initiate”), from Latin initium (“beginning”), from ineo (“enter, begin”). By surface analysis, initiate +‎ -ive.

• IPA^(key): /ɪˈnɪʃətɪv/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪʃətɪv

initiative (not comparable)

1. (archaic) Serving to initiate.

   Synonyms: inceptive, initiatory, introductory, preliminary

   • 1632, Roger Puttock, A Rejoynder unto William Malone’s Reply to the First Article‎^[1], Dublin: The Company of Stationers, page 78:

     As for Apollos he was skillfull in the Scriptures, and mightily confuted the Iewes by them, he had more then this initiative wisedome, and knew better the difference betweene the baptisme of Christ, and of Iohn, then it seemeth this Iesuite doth.

   • 1795, Helen Maria Williams, Letters Containing a Sketch of the Politics of France‎^[2], London: G.G. and J. Robinson, Volume 1, Letter 1, p. 5:

     suspected! that indefinite word, which was tortured into every meaning of injustice and oppression, and became what the French call the mot de ralliement, the initiative term of captivity and death

   • 1844, Charles Dickens, chapter 39, in Martin Chuzzlewit‎^[3], London: Chapman and Hall, page 461:

     The success of that initiative dish: that first experiment of hers in cookery: was so entire, so unalloyed and perfect, that John Westlock and Tom agreed she must have been studying the art in secret for a long time past;

2. (US) In which voter initiatives can be brought to the ballot.

   Antonym: noninitiative

   • a. 2008, John G. Matsusaka, "Direct Democracy and the Executive Branch", in, 2008, Shaun Bowler and Amihai Glazer, editors, Direct Democracy's Impact on American Political Institutions, Palgrave Macmillan, →ISBN, page 122 [4]:

     The second row shows that initiative states fill more constitutional offices by election than noninitiative states, and the difference is statistically significant after controlling for region and population.

initiative (countable and uncountable, plural initiatives)

1. A beginning; a first move.
   • 2023 January 6, Munza Mushtaq, “In Sri Lanka, Pastor Moses shows the power of a free lunch”, in The Christian Science Monitor:

     Not only are all religions welcome at the Voice Community Kitchen, but experts also say such initiatives could be key to improving ethnoreligious engagement and lead to better conflict mediation in the future.

2. A new development; a fresh approach to something; a new way of dealing with a problem.
3. The ability to act first or on one's own.
5. (politics) An issue to be voted on, brought to the ballot by a sufficient number of signatures from among the voting public.

   Hyponym: direct initiative

• “initiative”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “initiative”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “initiative”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

From Medieval Latin *initiativus (“serving to initiate”), from Late Latin initiare (“to begin, Latin initiate”), from Latin initium (“beginning”), from ineo (“enter, begin”).

• IPA^(key): /i.ni.sja.tiv/

• Audio:

  (file)

initiative f (plural initiatives)

1. initiative

   prendre l’initiative ― to take the initiative

   faire preuve d’initiative ― to show initiative

• syndicat d’initiative

• “initiative”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.