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INITIATIVE Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

INITIATIVE Synonyms: 35 Similar and Opposite Words | Merriam-Webster Thesaurus

THE INITIATIVE Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

DIRECT INITIATIVE Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

The word "initiative" comes from the Latin word initium, meaning "beginning", and has roots in the Latin verb ineo ("to go in, to enter").   The term evolved through Late Latin initiare ("to begin" or "to initiate"), to the Medieval Latin initiativus ("serving to initiate"), and passed to the French as  initiative before being adopted into English in the late 16th century with the original meaning "beginning" or "entrance," reflecting the act of starting something new.  By 1793 it also meant the "disposition to take the lead", "the ability to act first", or "on one's own". 

According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the first use of the noun "initiative" was in 1793, in a text by William Godwin. The adjective form of the word was in use earlier, with the earliest evidence from 1642 in the writing of T. Lechford. 

Examples of "initiative" used in a sentence: 
"There's talk of a new peace initiative."
"We have the initiative and we intend to keep it."
"He paused enough to consider the options but never so long as to lose the initiative. 
"it is hoped that the government's initiative will bring the strike to an end." 
"Meanwhile, the two groups have rejected an Egyptian initiative to hold peace talks." 
"Every state constitution has been amended far more often by the legislature than by initiative." 
"To be a hacker you need motivation and initiative and the ability to educate yourself." 
"Government initiatives to help young people have been inadequate."