illuminated initial : In manuscript illumination, a highly ornamented letter, usually the first letter of a word.

Click here for pronounciation.

Types of Illuminated Initails

foliate initial: an illuminated initial filled with decoration in leaf scroll.	historiated or figured initial: an illuminated initial containing a figure, a group of figures, or a narrative scene.
inhabited initial: an illuminated initial containing animals or human figures such as naked fighters.	pen flourished initial: an ornamental initial characterized by abstract, rhythmic patterns, usually drawn in red or blue ink. Pen flourished initials were especially common during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.

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Created by Jane Vadnal 05/97