different between primordial vs initial

English

Etymology

From the Latin pr?m?rdi?lis (“of the beginning”). Confer primordium and -al.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /p?a??m??.di.?l/
• (US) IPA^(key): /p?a??m??.di.?l/

Adjective

primordial (not comparable)

1. first, earliest or original

   • the primordial facts of our intelligent nature

2. (biology) characteristic of the earliest stage of the development of an organism, or relating to a primordium

   a primordial leaf; a primordial cell

3. primeval

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

primordial (plural primordials)

1. A first principle or element.

Translations

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin pr?m?rdi?lis (“of the beginning”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /p?i.m??.djal/

Adjective

primordial (feminine singular primordiale, masculine plural primordiaux, feminine plural primordiales)

1. primordial, primitive, original
2. vital, essential, paramount, of paramount importance

Further reading

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

German

Pronunciation

Adjective

primordial (not comparable)

1. primordial

Declension

Further reading

• “primordial” in Duden online

Portuguese

Etymology

From Latin pr?m?rdi?lis (“of the beginning”).

Adjective

primordial m or f (plural primordiais, comparable)

1. primordial (first, earliest or original)

   Synonym: primeiro

2. primary, main, paramount
   • 1982, Bernardo Soares, Livro do Desassossego, Vol.II

     Em mim o que há de primordial é o hábito e o jeito de sonhar.

   Synonyms: capital, essencial, importante

Derived terms

• primordialmente

Related terms

• primórdio

Further reading

• “primordial” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

Romanian

Etymology

From French primordial

Adjective

primordial m or n (feminine singular primordial?, masculine plural primordiali, feminine and neuter plural primordiale)

1. primeval

Declension

Related terms

• primordialitate

Spanish

Etymology

From Latin pr?m?rdi?lis (“of the beginning”). Cognate with English primordial.

Adjective

primordial (plural primordiales)

1. primordial
2. primary, paramount

Related terms

• primordio

Further reading

• “primordial” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

English

Etymology

From Middle French initial or straightway from its Latin etymon initi?lis (“of the beginning, incipient, initial”), from initium (“a going in, entrance, beginning”), from inire (“to go in, enter upon, begin”), from in (“in”) + ire (“to go”).

Pronunciation

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

Adjective

initial (not comparable)

1. Chronologically first, early; of or pertaining to the beginning, cause or origin.
2. Spatially first, placed at the beginning, in the first position; especially said of the first letter of a word.

Synonyms

• incipient
• opening

Antonyms

• final

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

initial (plural initials)

1. The first letter of a word or a name.
2. In plural, the first letter of each word of a person's full name considered as a unit.

   You can get your initials printed at the top.

3. (typography, calligraphy) A distinguished initial letter of a chapter or section of a document.
4. (phonology) onset, part of a syllable that precedes the syllable nucleus in phonetics and phonology.

Synonyms

• (typography, calligraphy): drop cap, versal

Derived terms

• initialism
• initial teaching alphabet

Translations

Verb

initial (third-person singular simple present initials, present participle initialing or initialling, simple past and past participle initialed or initialled)

1. (transitive) To sign one's initial(s), as an abbreviated signature.

Translations

Related terms

See also

• middle

Further reading

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

French

Etymology

From Latin initi?lis, from initium (“beginning”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /i.ni.sjal/
• Rhymes: -al

Adjective

initial (feminine singular initiale, masculine plural initiaux, feminine plural initiales)

1. initial

Related terms

Further reading

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

German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ini?t?s??a?l/

Adjective

initial (not comparable)

1. initial, incipient

Declension

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin initi?lis.

Noun

initial m (definite singular initialen, indefinite plural initialer, definite plural initialene)

1. an initial (first letter of a name)

References

• “initial” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin initi?lis.

Noun

initial m (definite singular initialen, indefinite plural initialar, definite plural initialane)

1. an initial (first letter of a name)

References

• “initial” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.