ab initio

• ab init

From Latin ab (“from”) + initiō, ablative singular of initium (“beginning”).

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌæb ɪˈnɪʃ.i.oʊ/, /ˌæb əˈnɪt.i.oʊ/, /ˌɑb əˈnɪt.i.oʊ/

ab initio

1. (law) From the time when a law, legal right or decree, contract, ownership interest, partnership (etc.) comes into force. [Early 17^th century.]^[1][2][3]
   • 2007, Parliament of India, “Section 14”, in Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006‎^[1], page 4:

     Any child marriage solemnised in contravention of an injunction order issued under section 13, whether interim or final, shall be void ab initio.

2. (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.

3. (of an academic course) Taken with no prior qualifications.

• a. i., ab in., ab init. (abbreviation)

Borrowed from Latin ab initiō (“from the beginning”).

• IPA^(key): /ap iˈniːt͡si̯o/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: ab ini‧tio

ab initio

1. ab initio

• “ab initio” in Duden online

ab initio

1. ab initio

• “ab initio”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), 23rd edition, Royal Spanish Academy, 2014 October 16