From Middle English beginnen, from Old English beginnan (“to begin”), from Proto-West Germanic *biginnan, from Proto-Germanic *biginnaną (“to begin”), from be- + base verb *ginnaną also found in Old English onginnan.
Meanings
(nonstandard) Beginning; start.
In prayer, in the light, I see my kin / I touch my tree, my roots, my begin 2006, Quynh Anh, “Hello Vietnam”, in Bonjour Vietnam, published 2008:
From Middle English beginnen, from Old English beginnan (“to begin”), from Proto-West Germanic *biginnan, from Proto-Germanic *biginnaną (“to begin”), from be- + base verb *ginnaną also found in Old English onginnan.
Meanings
(ergative) To start, to initiate or take the first step into something.
Ye Nymphs of Solyma! begin the ſong: / To heav'nly themes ſublimer ſtrains belong. 1712 (date written), Alexander Pope, “Messiah. A Sacred Eclogue, in Imitation of Virgil’s Pollio.”, in The Works of Alexander Pope Esq. […], volume I, London: […] J[ohn] and P[aul] Knapton, H. Lintot, J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson, and S. Draper, published 1751, →OCLC, page 37, lines 1–2:
Similarly, the biotech giant Cargill has begun manufacturing a polymer from vegetable oils that is used in polyurethane foams, which is found in beddings, furniture and car-seat headrests. 2008 April 9, Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, “Harnessing Biology, and Avoiding Oil, for Chemical Goods”, in The New York Times:
The program begins at 9 o’clock on the dot.
As Andrew, in particular, began to work on renovation and improvement, his talk about this began to be peppered with references to 'bodgery' — 'When I look at it, all I see is bodgery, he says recurrently, with a mixture of exclamation and despair. 2007, Nicky Gregson, Living with Things: Ridding, Accommodation, Dwelling, page 48:
I began playing the piano at the age of five.
Since the mid-1980s, when Indonesia first began to clear its bountiful forests on an industrial scale in favour of lucrative palm-oil plantations, “haze” has become an almost annual occurrence in South-East Asia. 2013 June 29, “Unspontaneous combustion”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 29:
I rushed to get to class on time, but the lesson had already begun.
Of all the queer collections of humans outside of a crazy asylum, it seemed to me this sanitarium was the cup winner. […] When you're well enough off so's you don't have to fret about anything but your heft or your diseases you begin to get queer, I suppose. 1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter V, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC:
Now that everyone is here, we should begin the presentation.
Mr. Cooke at once began a tirade against the residents of Asquith for permitting a sandy and generally disgraceful condition of the roads. So roundly did he vituperate the inn management in particular, and with such a loud flow of words, that I trembled lest he should be heard on the veranda. 1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter IV, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 48:
State begins fouling and UCLA misses a couple of front-end free throws on one-and-ones. 2009, Brandon Lang, Stanley Cohen, Beating the Odds: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of a Sports Handicapper, →ISBN:
The Apoſtle begins our Knowledge in the Creatures, which lead us to the Knowledge of God, if we will make uſe of our Reaſon: [...] a. 1705, John Locke, “An Examination of P[ère] Malebranche’s Opinion of Seeing All Things in God”, in Posthumous Works of Mr. John Locke: […], London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], published 1706, →OCLC, paragraph 41, page 175:
(intransitive) To come into existence.
Vast chain of being! which from God began. 1733, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Man. […], (please specify |epistle=I to IV), London: […] J[ohn] Wilford, […], →OCLC:
hu elkezd (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · sv inleda (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · rm entscheiver (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · eo eki (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · km ចាប់ផ្ដើម (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · sv påbörja (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · mi hāpai (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · gl comezar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · bn আরম্ভ করা (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · bn শুরু করা (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · tg оғоз кардан (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · et hakkama (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · hy սկսել (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ba башланыу (to start, begin (intransitive)) · si ආරම්භ කරනවා (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · cy dechrau (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · nb begynne (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ga tosaigh (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · uz boshlanmoq (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · mi huataki (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ru начина́ть (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · yue 開始 /开始 (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ca començar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · et alustama (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · es principiar (to start, begin (intransitive)) · la incipiō (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · fur començâ (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · gl empezar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · eu hasi (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · la initiō (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · scn accuminciari (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · sk začať (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · mr सुरू करणे (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · es principiar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · tg шуру кардан (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · oc començar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ta ஆரம்பி (to start, begin (intransitive)) · fr démarrer (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · nn begynna (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · be пача́ць (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · osx biginnan (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · tg шуруъ кардан (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · rup apãrnjescu (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · am ጀመረ (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · es comenzar (to start, begin (intransitive)) · id mulai (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · pt começar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ps شروع کول (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · tl magumpisa (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · it cominciare (to start, begin (intransitive)) · mi whakataki (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · sl začeti (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · rm iniziar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · fi aloittaa (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · hu kezdődik (to start, begin (intransitive)) · fo byrja (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · nap cumenzà (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · an encetar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · osx andginnan (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ia comenciar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · nl beginnen (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ml തുടങ്ങുക (to start, begin (intransitive)) · lut ʔil (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ta தொடங்கு (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · tr başlamak (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · be пача́цца (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · mk започнува (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ta ஆரம்பி (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · nb innlede (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · frr öönfange (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ka იწყება (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · got 𐌳𐌿𐌲𐌹𐌽𐌽𐌰𐌽 (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · izh noissa (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · oj maajii- (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · scn cuminzari (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ca iniciar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · tk başlamak (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · nrf c'menchi (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ug باشلىماق (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ps پيل کول (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · sq nis nëfillim (to start, begin (intransitive)) · mi tīmata (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · to kamata (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · pl zaczynać (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ar بَدَأَ (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · chr ᎠᏓᎴᏂᎭ (to start, begin (intransitive)) · rup ntsep (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · uz boshlamoq (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · vo primön (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · sk začínať (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · it iniziare (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ru начина́ться (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · fr commencer (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · lv sākt (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · he הִתְחִיל (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ln banda (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ta தொடங்கு (to start, begin (intransitive)) · ja 始まる (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · acw بدأ (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · nn byrja (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ky баштоо (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · yi באַגינען (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · nn innleia (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · qu qallariy (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · izh ruveta (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · kmr dest pê kirin (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · om eegaluu (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · sq nis (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · km ចាប់ (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · vi bắt đầu (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ja 開始する (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · cs začít (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · mnc ᡶᡠᡴᠵᡳᠯᡝᠮᠪᡳ (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ast aniciar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · my စ (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ia iniciar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · tl magsimula (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · la ineō (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ml തുടങ്ങുക (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · it iniziare (to start, begin (intransitive)) · ru нача́ться (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · hil sugod (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · mi hoto (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · es encentar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · acw بدا (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · om jalqabuu (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ms mula (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · mk почне (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · uk почина́ти (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · fr se mettre (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ca començar (to start, begin (intransitive)) · mi hīmata (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · vec scomençiar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · sk začínať (to start, begin (intransitive)) · bg запо́чвам (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · da begynde (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ko 시작하다 (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · is hefjast (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · rm cumanzer (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · pt iniciar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · tg сар кардан (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · az başlamaq (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · scn accuminzari (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · sh по̀чињати (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · tl mag-umpisa (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · uk поча́тися (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · bn শুরু হওয়া (to start, begin (intransitive)) · uk почина́тися (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · th เริ่ม (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · eo komenciĝi (to start, begin (intransitive)) · mt beda (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · vec scomençar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ast empezar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ur شُرُوع کَرْنا (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · rm scumanzar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · vo beginön (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · mhr тӱҥалаш (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · la committō (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · sl začenjati (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · srn bigin (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · de beginnen (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ceb sugod (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · rup ahurhescu (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · got 𐌳𐌿𐍃𐍄𐍉𐌳𐌾𐌰𐌽 (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · sk začať (to start, begin (intransitive)) · pl zacząć (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · is byrja (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · sat ᱮᱦᱳᱵ (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · kk бастау (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · izh aluttaa (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ta கிளம்பு (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ro a începe (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · tt башларга (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · el αρχίζω (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ln kobanda (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ba баштау (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · uk поча́ти (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · scn cuminciari (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · nb børje (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · hu megkezd (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · pl zacząć się (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · mr सुरू होणे (to start, begin (intransitive)) · rm cumenzar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ast entamar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · af begin (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · th เริ่มต้น (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · eo komenci (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · bg по́чна (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · es comenzar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · sh pòčēti (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · oc entamenar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ktu banda (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · fro comencier (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ml ആരംഭിക്കുക (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ajp بدا (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ha fāra (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · es empezar (to start, begin (intransitive)) · mnc ᡩᡝᡵᡳᠪᡠᠮᠪᡳ (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · nrf c'menchier (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · vec scominsiar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · toi talika (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · lo ເລີ່ມ (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ru нача́ть (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ja 始める (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · qu qallay (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · bg по́чвам (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · fa آغاز کردن (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · be пачына́цца (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · bni banda (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · gl comenzar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · lb ufänken (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · pl zaczynać się (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ar اِبْتَدَأَ (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · izh täytyä (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · de starten (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · la ordior (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · vec scuminçiar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · vec scuminsiar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · hu kezd (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · chr ᎠᎴᏅᏗ (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · es empezar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · alt баштаар (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · hu megkezdődik (to start, begin (intransitive)) · ka დაიწყება (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · sw kuanza (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ast comenzar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · kg banda (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · br kregiñ (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · de anheben (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · sh pòčinjati (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · izh lähtiä (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · sh по̀че̄ти (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · es ecentar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · cs začínat (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · hu elkezdődik (to start, begin (intransitive)) · nl aanvangen (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · rm antschever (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ba башталыу (to start, begin (intransitive)) · rm inizier (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · be пачына́ць (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · gl iniciar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · yi אָנהייבן (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · sv begynna (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · vec scomensar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · dlm nizuor (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ajp بلّش (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · rup ãnchisescu (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · km ផ្ដើម (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · mn эхлэх (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · de anfangen (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · mk започне (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · fa شروع کردن (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · sq filloj ze (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · hy սկսվել (to start, begin (intransitive)) · io komencar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · es decentar (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · cmn 開始 /开始 (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · izh käyvvä (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ta புறப்படு (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · lo ຕັ້ງຕົ້ນ (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ko 개시하다 (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · izh alkaa (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · hi शुरू होना (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ba башлау (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · ar شَرَعَ (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · it cominciare (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · tl umpisahan (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · sv börja (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · mk почнува (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · tl simulan (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · grc ἄρχομαι (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · hi शुरू करना (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · fi alkaa (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · rm entschaiver (to start, to initiate (transitive)) · lt pradėti (to start, to initiate (transitive))