DictionaryAI

begin

bi-GIN/bɪˈɡɪn/

Formsbegins, beginning, began, begun

2 meanings of begin

Practice

  1. 1
    verbtransitive or intransitive
    To start doing something, or to start happening or existing.

    Crews begin construction on the new bridge next spring.

    He began his career as a junior clerk in a small office.

    UsageBegan stands alone; begun needs a helper: it had begun (not incorrect: had began). Takes to + verb or -ing: began to cry, began playing.

    Oppositeend, finish, stop, conclude

Less common meaning

  1. 2
    nounnonstandard
    The point or moment at which something starts; its starting point.
    In prayer, in the light, I see my kin / I touch my tree, my roots, my begin
    2006, Quynh Anh, “Hello Vietnam”

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Origin

Begin goes back to Proto-Germanic *biginnaną ("to begin"), which became Proto-West Germanic *biginnan, then Old English beginnan ("to begin") and Middle English beginnen. It was built from be- and a base verb *ginnaną, the same verb seen in Old English onginnan.