ab initio
/ˌæb ɪˈnɪʃ.i.oʊ/ adverb
Forms ab init
- adverb (law) From the time when a law, legal right or decree, contract, ownership interest, partnership (etc.) comes into force. “As the Act was passed without the required quorum, the constitutional court struck down the Act and declared it to be void ab initio”
- adverb (sciences) Calculated from first principles, i.e. from basic laws without any further additional assumptions.
- adverb (of an academic course) Taken with no prior qualifications.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Latin ab (“from”) + initiō, ablative singular of initium (“beginning”).
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 — from the Wiktionary entry “ab initio”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details