begin









begin


< /məˈnɑ xəm/, 1913–92, Israeli political leader, born in Poland: prime minister 1977–83; Nobel Peace Prize 1978.

verb -gins, -ginning, -gan or -gun

  1. to start or cause to start (something or to do something)
  2. to bring or come into being for the first time; arise or originate
  3. to start to say or speak
  4. (used with a negative) to have the least capacity (to do something)he couldn’t begin to compete with her
  5. to begin with in the first place

noun

  1. Menachem (məˈnɑːkɪm). 1913–92, Israeli statesman, born in Poland. In Palestine after 1942, he became a leader of the militant Zionists; prime minister of Israel (1977–83); Nobel peace prize jointly with Sadat 1978. In 1979 he concluded the Camp David treaty with Anwar Sadat of Egypt
v.

Old English beginnan “to begin, attempt, undertake,” a rare word beside the more usual form onginnan (class III strong verb; past tense ongann, past participle ongunnen); from bi- (see be-) + West Germanbic *ginnan, of obscure meaning and found only in compounds, perhaps “to open, open up” (cf. Old High German in-ginnan “to cut open, open up,” also “begin, undertake”), with sense evolution from “open” to “begin.” Cognates elsewhere in Germanic include Old Frisian biginna “to begin,” Middle Dutch beghinnen, Old High German beginnan, German beginnen, Old Frisian bijenna “to begin,” Gothic duginnan.

In addition to the idioms beginning with begin

  • beginning of the end, the
  • begin to see daylight
  • begin to see the light
  • begin with

also see:

  • charity begins at home
  • (begin to) see the light
  • to start (begin) with
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