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initiation
initiation the transition and attendant ceremonies, such as ordeals and rites, involved in passing from one state or status to another, often from childhood to adulthood. It was among the most important social institutions of early humans. The ordeal measures the initiate's worthiness to enter the ...
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initiative
initiative the originating of a law or constitutional amendment by popular petition. It is intended to allow the electorate to initiate legislation independently of the legislature. This direct form of legislation, together with the referendum , was known in Greece and other early democracies. It ...
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Elisha
Elisha , in the Bible, prophet who functions as a model of the Mosaic prophetic office after Elijah , whose work he continued; he is believed to have lived in the 9th cent. BC Elisha initiated the political programs outlined to Elijah on Mt. Horeb. The stories about Elisha are collected in Second K...
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daffodil
daffodil in poetry, the bright yellow flowers of the daffodil are associated with the approach of spring. The name is recorded from the mid 16th century and comes from late Middle English affodill (the initial d- is unexplained), from medieval Latin affodilus, a variant of Latin asphodilus (see asp...
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George Alfred Henty
George Alfred Henty 1832-1902, English author. Initially a war correspondent, he later wrote boys' adventure tales that were very popular. Henty's books all focused on an ideal of manly virtue. They include The Young Bugler (1880) and With Clive in India (1884).
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mantra
mantra , in Hinduism and Buddhism, mystic words used in ritual and meditation. A mantra is believed to be the sound form of reality, having the power to bring into being the reality it represents. There are several types of mantras. Sanskrit verses used in the Vedic sacrifice are known as mantras. ...
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X
X 24th letter of the alphabet . In English it has no peculiar sound, but stands for the combination ks as in fox, or gz as in exempt, or, initially, for the sound of z as in xenia. In words from Greek, x transliterates the 14th Greek letter, xi, a letter perhaps quite unrelated to the ...
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acrostic
acrostic , arrangement of words or lines in which a series of initial, final, or other corresponding letters, when taken together, stand in a set order to form a word, a phrase, the alphabet, or the like. A famous acrostic was made on the Greek for Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior: I esous Ch risto...
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Abbas
Abbas , d. 653, uncle of Muhammad the Prophet and of Ali the caliph. A wealthy merchant of Mecca, he was at first opposed to the religious movement initiated by his nephew Muhammad. In 629 he became a convert, however, and from then on he was a companion of Muhammad and the chief financial suppo...
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Cabal
Cabal , inner group of advisers to Charles II of England. Their initials form the word (which is, however, of older origin)—Clifford of Chudleigh, Ashley (Lord Shaftesbury), Buckingham (George Villiers), Arlington (Henry Bennet), and Lauderdale (John Maitland). Although they were never a worki...
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