- begin
- begin [bē gin′, bigin′]vi.began, begun, beginning [ME biginnen < OE beginnan; akin to Ger beginnen, Goth duginnan]1. to start doing, acting, going, etc.; get under way2. to come into being; arise3. to have a first part or element [the Bible begins with Genesis]4. to be or do in the slightest degree: used with an infinitive [they don't begin to compare]vt.1. to cause to start; set about; commence2. to cause to come into being; originate3. to be the first part or element of——————to begin withas the first point or considerationSYN.- BEGIN, the most general of these terms, indicates merely a setting into motion of some action, process, or course [to begin eating ]; COMMENCE, the more formal term, is used with reference to a ceremony or an elaborate course of action [to commence a court action ]; START carries the particular implication of leaving a point of departure in any kind of progression [to start a journey, the boulder started a landslide ]; INITIATE, in this connection, refers to the carrying out of the first steps in some course or process, with no indication of what is to follow [to initiate peace talks ]; INAUGURATE suggests a formal or ceremonial beginning or opening [to inaugurate a new library ] –ANT. END2, FINISH, CONCLUDE
English World dictionary. V. Neufeldt. 2014.