ab initio

== English == === Alternative forms === ab init === Etymology === From Latin ab (“from”) + initiō, ablative singular of initium (“beginning”). === Pronunciation === (US) IPA(key): /ˌæb ɪˈnɪʃ.i.oʊ/, /ˌæb əˈnɪt.i.oʊ/, /ˌɑb əˈnɪt.i.oʊ/ === Adverb === ab initio (law) From the time when a law, legal right or decree, contract, ownership interest, partnership (etc.) comes into force. [Early 17th century.] (sciences) Calculated from first principles, i.e. from basic laws without any further additional assumptions. 1983, Monty Python, The meaning of life, at about 1h 15': […] this soul does not exist ab initio, as orthodox Christianity teaches; it has to be brought into existence by a process of guided self-observation. However, this is rarely achieved, owing to man's unique ability to be distracted from spiritual matters by everyday trivia. (of an academic course) Taken with no prior qualifications. ==== Translations ==== === References === == German == === Alternative forms === a. i., ab in., ab init. (abbreviation) === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin ab initiō (“from the beginning”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ap iˈniːt͡si̯o/ Hyphenation: ab ini‧tio === Adverb === ab initio ab initio === References === “ab initio” in Duden online == Indonesian == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from Latin ab initiō (“from the beginning”). === Adverb === ab initio ab initio === Further reading === “ab initio”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016 == Spanish == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from Latin ab initiō (“from the beginning”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˌab iˈnitjo/ [ˌaβ̞ iˈni.t̪jo] Syllabification: ab i‧ni‧tio === Adverb === ab initio ab initio ==== Usage notes ==== According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed. === Further reading === “ab initio”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025 “ab initio”, in Diccionario panhispánico de dudas [Panhispanic Dictionary of Uncertainties] (in Spanish), 2nd edition, Royal Spanish Academy; Association of Academies of the Spanish Language, 2023, →ISBN