begin

Begin
    n 1: 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) [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"; "Let's
         get down to work now" [syn: {get down}, {begin}, {get},
         {start out}, {start}, {set about}, {set out}, {commence}]
         [ant: {end}, {terminate}]
    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: {begin}, {start}] [ant: {cease},
       {end}, {finish}, {stop}, {terminate}]
    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: {begin}, {lead off}, {start},
       {commence}] [ant: {end}, {terminate}]
    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 begins the novel"; "The
       convocation ceremony officially begins the semester"
    6: have a beginning, of a temporal event; "WW II 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 workout"; "The
       semester begins with a convocation ceremony" [syn: {begin},
       {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: {begin}, {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"
    

Begin \Be*gin"\, n.
   Beginning. [Poetic & Obs.] --Spenser.
   [1913 Webster]
    

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.
      [1913 Webster]

            Vast chain of being! which from God began. --Pope.
      [1913 Webster]

   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.
      [1913 Webster]

            When I begin, I will also make an end. --1 Sam. iii.
                                                  12.
      [1913 Webster]
    

Begin \Be*gin"\, v. t.
   1. To enter on; to commence.
      [1913 Webster]

            Ye nymphs of Solyma ! begin the song. --Pope.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To trace or lay the foundation of; to make or place a
      beginning of.
      [1913 Webster]

            The apostle begins our knowledge in the creatures,
            which leads us to the knowledge of God. --Locke.
      [1913 Webster]

   Syn: To commence; originate; set about; start.
        [1913 Webster]
    

51 Moby Thesaurus words for "begin":
      arise, attack, blast away, blast off, broach, commence, create,
      dig in, dive in, embark, enter, enter on, enter upon, establish,
      fall to, found, get off, get to, go ahead, go into, head into,
      inaugurate, initiate, institute, introduce, jump off, kick off,
      launch, lead off, open, originate, pitch in, plunge into, prepare,
      send off, set about, set in, set out, set sail, set to, set up,
      spring, start, start in, start off, start out, tackle, take off,
      take up, turn to, usher in