initiative

Meanings

Adjective

• Serving to initiate; inceptive; initiatory; introductory; preliminary.
• In which voter initiatives can be brought to the ballot.

Noun

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

Related

Similar words

• direct initiative

Opposite words

• noninitiative

Origin

• From French initiative, from Medieval Latin *initiativus ("serving to initiate"), from Late Latin initiare ("to begin, {{cog") initiate}}, from Latin initium ("beginning"), from ineo.