Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To perform or undergo the first part of an action; start.
  • intransitive verb To come into being.
  • intransitive verb To do or accomplish something in the least degree. Used in the negative with an infinitive.
  • intransitive verb To say as the first in a series of remarks.
  • intransitive verb To have as a first element or part.
  • intransitive verb To have as the lowest price in a range.
  • intransitive verb To have as a first position, stage, or job.
  • intransitive verb To take the first step in doing; start.
  • intransitive verb To cause to come into being; originate.
  • intransitive verb To come first in (a series, for instance).

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A beginning.
  • To take the first step in; set about the performance or accomplishment of; enter upon; commence.
  • To originate; be the originator of: as, to begin a dynasty.
  • To trace from anything as the first ground; date the beginning of.
  • Synonyms To set about, institute, undertake, originate, initiate.
  • To come into existence; arise; originate: as, the present German empire began with William I.
  • To take a first step; commence in any course or operation; make a start or commencement.
  • At the outset; as the first thing to be considered; first of all: as, to begin with, I do not like its color.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To enter on; to commence.
  • transitive verb To trace or lay the foundation of; to make or place a beginning of.
  • noun Poetic & Obs. Beginning.
  • intransitive verb To have or commence an independent or first existence; to take rise; to commence.
  • intransitive verb To do the first act or the first part of an action; to enter upon or commence something new, as a new form or state of being, or course of action; to take the first step; to start.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive, intransitive To start, to initiate or take the first step into something.
  • noun nonstandard Beginning; start.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb be the first item or point, constitute the beginning or start, come first in a series
  • verb begin an event that is implied and limited by the nature or inherent function of the direct object
  • verb begin to speak or say
  • verb have a beginning, of a temporal event
  • verb have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative sense
  • verb begin to speak, understand, read, and write a language
  • noun Israeli statesman (born in Russia) who (as prime minister of Israel) negotiated a peace treaty with Anwar Sadat (then the president of Egypt) (1913-1992)
  • verb set in motion, cause to start
  • verb have a beginning characterized in some specified way
  • verb achieve or accomplish in the least degree, usually used in the negative
  • verb take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English biginnen, from Old English beginnan.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English beginnen, from Old English beginnan ("to begin"), from Proto-Germanic *biginnanan (“to begin”) (compare West Frisian begjinne, Dutch/German beginnen), from Proto-Indo-European *ghendhe/o 'to take' (compare Welsh genni ("to delve, submerge onself"), Latin prehendere 'to grasp, nab', praeda 'prey', Albanian  ("to catch"), Ancient Greek chandánein ("to hold, contain")).

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Examples

  • I shall begin -- yes, I shall _begin_ with a course of the Norwegian theatres.

    Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 100, April 18, 1891 Various

  • Then, just _one more_ glimpse at the evening paper -- and you would begin ... oh yes! you _would begin_!

    Over the Fireside with Silent Friends Richard King 1913

  • For first you had to be created, only that; and then, in my time; and then, not in Timbuctoo but Wimpole Street, and then ... the strange hedge round the sleeping Palace keeping the world off -- and then ... all was to begin, all the difficulty only _begin_: -- and now ... see where is reached!

    The Letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett, Vol. 1 (of 2) 1845-1846 Robert Browning 1850

  • I will simply assure you, that meaning to begin work in deep earnest, _begin_ without affectation, God knows, -- I do not know what will help me more than hearing from you, -- and therefore, if you do not so very much hate it, I know I _shall_ hear from you -- and very little more about your 'tiring me.'

    The Letters of Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Barrett, Vol. 1 (of 2) 1845-1846 Robert Browning 1850

  • And they really do form a whole leadership language of sorts that those of us Leading Without a Title begin to speak to each other.

    The Leader Who Had No Title Robin Sharma 2010

  • Only later did the term begin to denote “mystical theology,” that included direct experience of the divine (See Bouyer, 1981).

    Mysticism Gellman, Jerome 2005

  • Of late there has been a movement, headed by some of the townspeople who think city ways are best, to have the term begin in September.

    Cy Whittaker's Place Joseph Crosby Lincoln 1907

  • Conceive what might have happened if it had been some other of our presidents who had happened to have his term begin in 1861!

    Abraham Lincoln Morse, John T 1899

  • But the best place to begin is to consider the needs of IT people who map out the plans and get the job done every day.

    Five-year plan: 8 problems IT must solve Paul Venezia 2010

  • Besides, the only way to begin is to begin at the beginning.

    CHAPTER II 2010

Comments

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  • This word - Begin/begin - was among the capitonyms that sionnich linked us to earlier, which reminded me of a minor peeve of mine from way back. Why, when transliterating from the Hebrew alphabet into the Roman alphabet, would one choose those letters 'B-E-G-I-N' for a name that is pronounced BAYG'-in, a rhyme with Reagan, Meghann, Fagin and pagan? Wouldn't Baigin or Bagan or Baygin, Beygunn or any number of other spellings have been a better and more helpful choice? Actually, it is hard to come up with a worse choice without appearing to be doing so on purpose.

    December 12, 2008