Initials

Pronunciation: /ɪˈnɪʃəlz/

Definitions of initials

noun a set of letters representing a person's name, with each letter pronounced separately

Example Sentences

A1 My initials are 'J.D.' which stands for John Doe.

A2 Please write your initials on the top right corner of the page.

B1 The package was marked with the sender's initials 'A.S.'.

B2 She embroidered her initials on the handkerchief as a personal touch.

C1 The artist signed the painting with his initials in the bottom left corner.

C2 The company logo is a stylized version of the founder's initials.

Examples of initials in a Sentence

formal Please remember to sign your initials on each page of the document.

informal Just put your initials at the bottom of the form.

slang I'll just scribble my initials on there real quick.

figurative His success was so great that his initials became synonymous with excellence.

Grammatical Forms of initials

• past tense: initialed
• plural: initials
• comparative: more initials
• superlative: most initials
• present tense: initials
• future tense: will initial
• perfect tense: have initialed
• continuous tense: is initialing
• singular: initial
• positive degree: initial
• infinitive: to initial
• gerund: initialing
• participle: initialing

Origin and Evolution of initials

First Known Use: 1601 year

Language of Origin: Latin

Story behind the word: The word 'initials' originated from the Latin word 'initialis', meaning 'of the beginning'.

Evolution of the word: Originally used to refer to the first letters of a person's name, 'initials' has evolved to also encompass the first letters of a word or phrase as a form of abbreviation or shorthand.