initiative

Pronunciation: /ɪˈnɪʃ.ə.tɪv/

The English word “initiative” has 6 meanings listed here.

adjective

Serving to initiate.
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.

Etymology

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

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