initiative

The story

1. Latin · derived frominitium“beginning”
2. Late Latin · derived frominitiare“to begin, to initiate”
3. Medieval Latin · derived from*initiativus“serving to initiate”
4. French · derived frominitiative
5. English todayinitiative

From French initiative, from Medieval Latin *initiativus (“serving to initiate”), from Late Latin initiare (“to begin, to initiate”), from Latin initium (“beginning”), from ineo (“enter, begin”). By surface analysis, initiate + -ive.