initiate

initiate

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin initiātus, perfect passive participle of initiō (“begin, originate”), from initium (“a beginning”), from ineō (“go in, enter upon, begin”), from in + eō (“go”).

Pronunciation

• (verb) IPA^(key): /ɪˈnɪʃ.ɪ.eɪt/

  • Audio (UK)

    (file)

• (noun, adjective) IPA^(key): /ɪˈnɪʃ.ɪ.ət/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ini‧ti‧ate

Noun

initiate (plural initiates)

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

   Antonym: noninitiate

   Coordinate terms: expert, nonexpert, layperson, amateur, dilettante, journeyman, master

Translations

A new member of an organization

Arabic: عضو جديد‎ Bulgarian: новопосветен m (novoposveten) Chinese: Mandarin: 新成员 Dutch: beginner (nl) m Finnish: tulokas (fi), uusi jäsen German: Eingeweihter m, Eingeweihte f, Initiierter m, Initiierte f Italian: novizio (it)

One who has been through a ceremony of initiation

Armenian: հաղորդյալ (hałordyal), միստ (mist) Czech: zasvěcenec Dutch: ingewijde (nl) m or f Finnish: tulokas (fi) French: initié (fr) German: Eingeweihter m, Eingeweihte f Greek: Ancient: μύστης m (mústēs) Hungarian: beavatott (hu) Italian: iniziato (it) Polish: wtajemniczony m

Verb

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

1. (transitive) To begin; to start.
   • 1859-1860, Isaac Taylor, Ultimate Civilisation

     How are changes of this sort to be initiated?

2. To instruct in the rudiments or principles; to introduce.
   • 1653-1655, Henry More, An Antidote against Atheism

     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 1161614482:

     to initiate his pupil in any part of learning

3. 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 1003933465:

     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 191120697:

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

4. (intransitive) To do the first act; to perform the first rite; to take the initiative.
   • 1725, Homer; [Alexander Pope], transl., “Book 3”, in The Odyssey of Homer. […], volume V, London: […] Bernard Lintot, OCLC 8736646:

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

Synonyms

• (to begin): commence

Antonyms

• (to begin): stop, end, cease

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

Related terms

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

Translations

to begin; to start

Bulgarian: започвам (bg) (započvam), поставям начало (postavjam načalo) Czech: iniciovat (cs) Dutch: beginnen (nl), starten (nl), aanvangen (nl), initiëren (nl) 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 (torikakaru), 開始する (kaishi suru) Norwegian: sette i gang Persian: آغازیدن‎ (fa), آغازاندن‎ (fa) Russian: инициировать (ru) impf (iniciirovatʹ) Swedish: initiera (sv), inleda (sv), påbörja (sv), sätta igång (sv)

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 Finnish: vihkiä (fi) Greek: Ancient: 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), (please verify) 着手 (zh) Esperanto: (please verify) ekestigi, (please verify) iniciati Italian: (please verify) iniziare (it), (please verify) cominciare (it), (please verify) presentare (it) Latin: (please verify) initio

To do the first act

Arabic: بَادَرَ‎ (bādara)

See also

• resume (to begin where one left off)

Adjective

initiate (comparative more initiate, superlative most initiate)

1. (obsolete) Unpractised; 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 606515358, [Act III, scene iv]:

     the initiate fear that wants hard use

2. (obsolete) Begun; commenced; introduced to, or instructed in, the rudiments; newly admitted.
   • 1741, [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 1102704913, 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, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
• initiate in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911
• initiate at OneLook Dictionary Search

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Latin

Participle

initiāte

1. vocative masculine singular of initiātus