initiatory

American  

[ih-nish-ee-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] / ɪˈnɪʃ i əˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i /

adjective

1. introductory; initial.

   an initiatory step toward a treaty.

2. serving to initiate or admit into a society, club, etc.

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initiatory British  

/ ɪˈnɪʃɪˌətərɪ /

adjective

1. of or concerning initiation or serving to initiate; initiative

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Other Word Forms

• initiatorily adverb

Etymology

Origin of initiatory

First recorded in 1605–15; initiate + -ory ¹

Example Sentences

That initiatory dinner consisted of mashed potatoes and jellied cranberry sauce from the can, a dish he loved because its sweet-and-sour flavor tasted faintly of home.

From New York Times • Nov. 15, 2016

The different individuals of the clan inherit the protection of the clan totems at the initiatory rites, and thenceforth retain them as their protectors through life.

From Man, Past and Present by Haddon, Alfred Court

The Katipunan adopted some of the Masonic paraphernalia, and some of the initiatory ceremonies, but were in no sense Masonic lodges.

From The Inhabitants of the Philippines by Sawyer, Frederic H.

Perceiving that a young squire is receiving an initiatory lesson into the art of driving; or that a jibbing horse, or a race with an opposition coach, is endangering your existence.

From The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries To-Day and in Days of Old by Harper, Charles G. (Charles George)

The very fact that repentance and faith were urged by Christ and his apostles, as the initiatory step to salvation, proves the opposite of this.

From Calvinistic Controversy Embracing a Sermon on Predestination and Election and Several Numbers, Formally Published in the Christian Advocate and Journal. by Fisk, Wilbur