English

Alternative forms

ab init

Adverb

ab initio

1. (law) From the time when a legal document comes into force. [Early 17^th century.]^[1]
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.

Related terms

• void ab initio

Translations

References

1. ↑ Lesley Brown (editor), The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, 5th edition (Oxford University Press, 2003 [1933], ISBN 978-0-19-860575-7), page 4