initiate

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun someone new to a field or activity
  2. noun someone who has been admitted to membership in a scholarly field
  3. noun people who have been introduced to the mysteries of some field or activity

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin initiātus, perfect passive participle of initiō (“to begin, originate”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from initium (“a beginning”) + -ō (verb-forming suffix), from initus (“an entrance, coming in, approach”) + -ium, from ineō + -tus, from in- + eō (“to go”). Cognate with French initier.

In classic literature

Synonyms

novice, beginner, tyro, tiro

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