An emphasized letter at the beginning of a text; used in medieval manuscripts to form breaks within a text and to prioritize the components of the text by drawing the attention of the reader; a purely medieval invention and often lavishly decorated.
the first letter of a word (especially a person's name); "he refused to put the initials FRS after his name"
occurring at the beginning; "took the initial step toward reconciliation"
a more largely set letter , often several lines comprehensive, with a decorating character at the beginning of a work, a chapter or a paragraph
A sound that comes at the beginning of the word, or a word that comes at the beginning of the phrase or sentence.
Large or ornamental letters at the beginning of paragraphs. A "factotum initial" is an ornamental block inside which various regular pieces of type could be inserted.
a grammatical category in visual language holding the nascent starting point of the interrelation or interaction of the sentence
A letter placed at the beginning of a text, which appears larger and/or in a different font. In old handwritten material, initials are characterized by special colors and decorative elements. The first initial can be found in Greek and Copt scripts from the fourth century.
Beginning of a process; first denture or partial denture.
In a written work, an initial is a letter at the beginning of a work, a chapter or a paragraph that is larger than the rest of the text. It is often several lines in height and is sometimes ornately decorated. Initials with images inside them, like those illustrated here, are known as historiated initials; they were an invention of Insular art.