Begin Definition

bĭ-gĭn
began, beginning, begins, begun
verb
began, beginning, begins, begun
To perform or undergo the first part of an action; start.
I began to e-mail you but got interrupted. The rain began around noon.
American Heritage
To start doing, acting, going, etc.; get under way.
Webster's New World
To cause to start; set about; commence.
Webster's New World
To come into being.
When life began.
American Heritage
To come into being; arise.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
idiom
to begin with
  • as the first point or consideration
Webster's New World

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Begin

Origin of Begin

  • From Middle English beginnen, from Old English beginnan (“to begin”), from Proto-Germanic *biginnaną (“to begin”) (compare West Frisian begjinne, Low German begünnen, Dutch and German beginnen), from a root *ginnaną also found in Old English onginnan, Old Saxon andginnan and Dutch ontginnen, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *ghendhe/o (“to take”) (compare Welsh genni (“to delve, submerge onself”), Latin prehendō, Albanian (“to catch”), Ancient Greek [script?] (chandánein, “to hold, contain”)).

    From Wiktionary

  • Middle English biginnen from Old English beginnan

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

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