different between assault vs initiative

English

Etymology

From Middle English assaut, from Old French noun assaut, from the verb asaillir, from Latin assili?, from ad (“towards”) + sali? (“to jump”). See also assail. Spelling Latinized around 1530 to add an l.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??s??lt/
• (regional, California) IPA^(key): /??s?lt/

Noun

assault (countable and uncountable, plural assaults)

1. A violent onset or attack with physical means, for example blows, weapons, etc.
   • 1856-1858, William H. Prescott, History of the Reign of Philip II

     The Spanish general prepared to renew the assault.

   • 1814, William Wordsworth, The Excursion, Book 5

     Unshaken bears the assault / Of their most dreaded foe, the strong southwest.

2. A violent onset or attack with moral weapons, for example words, arguments, appeals, and the like

3. (criminal law) An attempt to commit battery: a violent attempt, or willful effort with force or violence, to do hurt to another, but without necessarily touching his person, as by lifting a fist in a threatening manner, or by striking at him and missing him.
4. (singular only, law) The crime whose action is such an attempt.
5. (tort law) An act that causes someone to apprehend imminent bodily harm.
6. (singular only, law) The tort whose action is such an act.
7. (fencing) A non-competitive combat between two fencers.

Synonyms

• onfall, onrush

Coordinate terms

• battery

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

assault (third-person singular simple present assaults, present participle assaulting, simple past and past participle assaulted)

1. (transitive) To attack, physically or figuratively; to assail.

   Tom was accused of assaulting another man outside a nightclub.

   Loud music assaulted our ears as we entered the building.

2. (transitive) To threaten or harass. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Translations

Middle French

Noun

assault m (plural assauls)

1. (chiefly military) assault; attack

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /??n???t?v/
• Rhymes: -???t?v

Adjective

initiative (not comparable)

1. Serving to initiate; inceptive; initiatory; introductory; preliminary.
2. In which voter initiatives can be brought to the ballot.
   • a. 2008, John G. Matsusaka, "Direct Democracy and the Executive Branch", in, 2008, Shaun Bowler and Amihai Glazer, editors, Direct Democracy's Impact on American Political Institutions, Palgrave Macmillan, ?ISBN, page 122 [1]:

     The second row shows that initiative states fill more constitutional offices by election than noninitiative states, and the difference is statistically significant after controlling for region and population.

Antonyms

• noninitiative

Translations

Noun

initiative (countable and uncountable, plural initiatives)

1. A beginning; a first move.
2. A new development; a fresh approach to something; a new way of dealing with a problem.
3. The ability to act first or on one's own.
4. An issue to be voted on, brought to the ballot by a sufficient number of signatures from among the voting public.

Synonyms

• (issue to be voted on): direct initiative

Derived terms

• direct initiative

Related terms

Translations

Further reading

• initiative in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• initiative in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• initiative at OneLook Dictionary Search

French

Etymology

From *Medieval Latin initiativus (“serving to initiate”), from Late Latin initiare (“to begin, Latin initiate”), from Latin initium (“beginning”), from ineo (“enter, begin”).

Pronunciation

Noun

initiative f (plural initiatives)

1. initiative
   • Prendre l'initiative.

Derived terms

• syndicat d'initiative

Further reading

• “initiative” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).