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initiate Definition

ini·ti·ate (i nis̸h′ē āt′; for adj. & n. i nis̸h′ē it, -āt′or, occas. i nis̸h′it)

transitive verb -·at′ed, -·at′·ing

  1. to bring into practice or use; introduce by first doing or using; start to initiate a new course of studies
  2. to teach the fundamentals of some subject to; help to begin doing something to initiate someone into the game of chess
  3. to admit as a member into a fraternity, club, etc., esp. with a special or secret ceremony

Etymology: < L initiatus, pp. of initiare, to enter upon, initiate < initium: see initial

adjective

  1. initiated
  2. Archaic just begun

noun

a person who has recently been, or is about to be, initiated

initiate Related Forms

in·i′tia′·tor noun

initiate Synonyms

initiate

v.

  1. To begin

    open, start, inaugurate, launch; see begin 1.

  2. To introduce

    instate, induct, admit; see receive 4. See syn. study at begin.

initiate Usage Examples

Object

  • proceeding: He was of the opinion that the Council should not initiate legal proceedings on behalf of landowners.
  • discussion: Parents can use the site to initiate discussion about drugs.
  • investigation: Finally he came to energywatch who initiated an investigation by the company.
  • dialog: The EU will initiate a dialog with the biotech industry in Europe, on inter alia control of dangerous pathogens.
  • conversation: She is unable also to make the decision to finish a task and will seldom initiate conversations.
  • prosecution: That the ability to initiate a private prosecution should remain unchanged.

Subject

elder: Marriages, initiated by elders, were arranged with the help of an ' aunt ' or the ' priest ' .

Preposition: into

secret: You will be entertained and then initiated into the secrets of ancient India as you have never before seen it.

Modifying Another Word

  • manually: Scanning can be initiated manually or automatically in accordance with a defined schedule.
  • thereby: For instance, small-scale turbulence is responsible for mixing air masses of different chemical composition, thereby initiating chemical reactions.
  • promptly: If treatment is not initiated promptly, a chronic course becomes very likely and the illness may become intractable.
  • centrally: All respondents stated that networked learning had been centrally initiated and affected the whole of the institution.
  • formally: However, only the European Commission can formally initiate legislation so the ETUC has vowed to add to the pressure on them.
  • locally: Secondly, privatization does not seem to have been initiated locally but was influenced by the new global ideological orientation.

Used with why or when

  • when: Operational Prevention ( OP ) OP refers to strategies and tactics initiated when violence appears imminent.
  • that: A collaborative project with Dr. W Graham on merging of aircraft trailing vortices has also been initiated that involves experiments and numerical simulations.

Infinitive complement

empower: Various projects have been initiated to empower more people to get involved with radical video production and screening.

Present participle complement

breastfeed: Infant Feeding Adviser Network As more Scottish mothers are initiating breastfeeding there is a growing need for advice, support and information.

Preposition: by

  • elder: Marriages, initiated by elders, were arranged with the help of an ' aunt ' or the ' priest ' .
  • government: German law was derived almost entirely from legislation initiated by the government.