INITIATE


Meaning of INITIATE in English

verb , noun

■ verb / ɪˈnɪʃieɪt; NAmE / [ vn ]

1.

( formal ) to make sth begin

SYN set in motion :

to initiate legal proceedings against sb

The government has initiated a programme of economic reform.

2.

initiate sb (into sth) to explain sth to sb and/or make them experience it for the first time :

Many of them had been initiated into drug use at an early age.

3.

initiate sb (into sth) to make sb a member of a particular group, especially as part of a secret ceremony :

Hundreds are initiated into the sect each year.

■ noun

/ ɪˈnɪʃiət/ a person who has been allowed to join a particular group, organization, or religion and is learning its rules and secrets

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WORD ORIGIN

mid 16th cent. (in sense 3): from Latin initiat- begun, from the verb initiare , from initium beginning.

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.