initiate

verb

/ɪˈnɪʃ.i.eɪt//ɪˈnɪʃ.i.ət/

Etymology

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.

borrowed from initiātus

Definitions

1
To begin
To begin; to start.
- How are changes of this sort to be initiated?
- This is a very strong move, aptly timed. It initiates the tactical conception which routs Black's hopes.
- 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.
2
To instruct in the rudiments or principles
To instruct in the rudiments or principles; to introduce.
- Divine Providence would only initiate and enter mankind into the useful knowledge of her, leaving the rest to employ our industry.
- to initiate his pupil in any part of learning
3
To confer membership on
To confer membership on; especially, to admit to a secret order with mysterious rites or ceremonies.
- The Athenians believed that he who was initiated and instructed in the mysteries would obtain celestial honour after death.
- He was initiated into half a dozen clubs before he was one and twenty.
›+ 6 more definitionsshow fewer
1. 4
  To do the first act
  To do the first act; to perform the first rite; to take the initiative.
  - The king himself initiates to the power; Scatters with quivering hand the sacred flour, And the stream sprinkles.
2. A new member of an organization.
3. One who has been through a ceremony of initiation.
4. One who is oriented in and familiar with a topic or subject
  One who is oriented in and familiar with a topic or subject; especially, one who is an expert in it.
5. 8
  Unpracticed, untried, new.
  - the initiate fear that wants hard use
6. 9
  Begun, commenced, introduced to or in the rudiments (of), newly admitted.
  - To rise in science as in bliss, / Initiate in the secrets of the skies.

The neighborhood

antonympauseto end temporarily
antonymhalt
antonymsuspend
antonymdiscontinueto end incompletely
antonymfinishto end completely
antonymconclude
antonymcomplete
antonymstopantonym(s) of “to begin”
antonymendantonym(s) of “to begin”
antonymceaseantonym(s) of “to begin”
neighborinitiable
neighborinitial
neighborinitialism
neighborinitialize
neighborinitials
neighborinitiation
neighborinitiative
neighborinitiator
neighborresume

Derived

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

Vish — recursive loop

A definitional loop anchored at initiate. Each word in the ring is defined by the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself. Scroll to it and watch.

A definitional loop anchored at initiate. Each word in the ring appears in the definition of the next; follow the chain far enough and it folds back on itself.

8 hops · closes at initiate

curated · pre-corpus. live cycle detection across the full graph is the next major milestone.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA