word choice - What do you call something that is not first in a sequence?
Is there a word to describe something that is not the first element in a sequence, but can be in any other position? A synonym of "not first", in fact.
This element is __ in this sequence.
Answer
noninitial
The word has been used in literature on English grammar and other fields. Google books records, for instance:
"On the one hand, the finite verbal category seeks a noninitial position ..." -Géraldine Legendre, Jane Grimshaw, Sten Vikner: Optimality-Theoretic Syntax, 2001, p264.
"Noninitial stress may be found on any syllable of the word, and may or may not co-occur with initial stress." -Jean Ormsbee Charney: A grammar of Comanche, 1993, p41.
"Consequently, even for monosyllable words, CS and LEC factors can be distributed over different word positions in several ways: CS can be word initial (e.g., “quick”) or noninitial ..." -Peter Howell, Recovery from Stuttering, 1947, p155.
Wiktionary defines noninitial as Not initial.
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