English
initiative
Initiative comes from French initiative, from Medieval Latin *initiativus ‘serving to initiate’, from Late Latin initiō ‘to begin’, from Latin initium ‘beginning’, from ineō ‘to enter’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁ey-‘to go’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁éyti‘to go’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ejōreconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*eō‘to go’reconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*eneō‘to go in’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEineō‘to enter, begin’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEinitium‘beginning’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEinitiō‘to begin, initiate’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500*initiativus‘serving to initiate’reconstructed
- Frenchc. 1600–presentinitiative
- Englishearliest quotation 1632same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁ey-‘to go’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₁éyti‘to go’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*ejōreconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*eō‘to go’reconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*eneō‘to go in’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEineō‘to enter, begin’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEinitium‘beginning’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEinitiō‘to begin, initiate’
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500*initiativus‘serving to initiate’reconstructed
- Frenchc. 1600–presentinitiative
- Englishearliest quotation 1632same form
Earliest quotation: 1632, Roger Puttock, A Rejoynder unto William Malone’s Reply to the First Article: “As for Apollos he was skillfull in the Scriptures,…”
Equivalent to initiate + -ive
Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- ‘to go’
…
Latin ineō ‘to begin’
Latin initium ‘beginning’
Latin initiō ‘to begin, originate’
Latin initiātus ‘begun, originated, having been begun’
English initiate
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- ‘to go’
through Proto-Indo-European *h₁éyti ‘to go, to be going’
ion, isthmus, cation, anionic, 23 more
through Proto-Italic *eō ‘to go’
transition, ambitious, ambient, ambition, eyre, sedition, ambiance, ambit, 8 more
Today it means
adj Serving to initiate.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₁ey- / initiative