Etymology

initial

in·i·tial
I1N1I1T1I1A1L1

Today it means: Chronologically first, early; of or pertaining to the beginning, cause or origin. Full definition →

Latin initiāli ← Middle French initia ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.?
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁én
  2. Proto-Italic*en
  3. Proto-Italic*en-
  4. Proto-Indo-European*h₁ey-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*h₁éyti
  6. Proto-Italic*ejō
  7. Proto-Italic*eō
  8. Proto-Italic*eneō
  9. Latinineō
  10. Latininitium
  11. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  12. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  13. Latininitiāli
  14. Middle Frenchinitia
  15. Latininitiāli
  16. English todayinitial

From Middle French initial or directly from its Latin etymon initiālis (“of the beginning, incipient, initial”), from initium (“a going in, entrance”), from inīre (“to go into, enter”), from in (“in”) + ire (“to go”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.