Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Begin"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Begin \Be*gin"\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Began}, {Begun}; p. pr. &
vb. n. {Beginning}.] [AS. beginnan (akin to OS. biginnan, D.
& G. beginnen, OHG. biginnan, Goth., du-ginnan, Sw. begynna,
Dan. begynde); pref. be- + an assumed ginnan. [root]31. See
{Gin} to begin.]
1. To have or commence an independent or first existence; to
take rise; to commence.
Vast chain of being! which from God began. --Pope.
2. 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. ``Tears began to flow.'' --Dryden.
When I begin, I will also make an end. --1 Sam. iii.
12.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Begin \Be*gin"\, v. t.
1. To enter on; to commence.
Ye nymphs of Solyma ! begin the song. --Pope.
2. To trace or lay the foundation of; to make or place a
beginning of.
The apostle begins our knowledge in the creatures,
which leads us to the knowledge of God. --Locke.
Syn: To commence; originate; set about; start.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Begin \Be*gin"\, n.
Beginning. [Poetic & Obs.] --Spenser.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
Begin
n : Israeli statesman (born in Russia) who (as Prime Minister of
Israel) negotiated a peace treaty with Anwar el-Sadat of
Egypt (1913-1992) [syn: {Begin}, {Menachem Begin}]
v 1: take the first step or steps in carrying out an action: "We
began working at dawn"; "Who will start?" "Get working
as soon as the sun rises!"; "The first tourists began to
arrive in Cambodia"; "He began early in the day" [syn: {get},
{start out}, {start}, {set about}, {set out}, {commence}]
[ant: {end}]
2: have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative
sense: "The DMZ begins right over the hill"; "The second
movement begins after the Allegro"; "Prices for these
homes start at $250,000" [syn: {start}] [ant: {end}]
3: set in motion, cause to start; "The U.S. started a war in
the Middle East"; "The Iraqis began hostilities"; "begin a
new chapter in your life" [syn: {lead off}, {start}, {commence}]
[ant: {end}]
4: begin to speak or say; "Now listen, friends," he began
5: be the first item or point, constitute the beginning or
start, come first in a series; "The number "one" begins
the sequence"; "A terrible murder begin the novel"; "The
convocation ceremoney officially begins the semester"
6: have a beginning, of a temporal event; "WWII began in 1939
when Hitler marched into Poland"; "The company's Asia tour
begins next month"
7: have a beginning characterized in some specified way; "The
novel begins with a murder"; "My property begins with the
three maple trees"; "Her day begins with a work-out"; "The
semester begins with a convocation ceremony" [syn: {start}]
8: begin an event that is implied and limited by the nature or
inherent function of the direct object; "begin a cigar";
"She started the soup while it was still hot"; "We started
physics in 10th grade" [syn: {start}]
9: achieve or accomplish in the least degree, usually used in
the negative: "This economic measure doesn't even begin to
deal with the problem of inflation"; "You cannot even
begin to understand the problem we had to deal with during
the war"
10: begin to speak, understand, read, and write a language; "She
began Russian at an early age"; "We started French in
fourth grade"
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