*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of begin

From Middle English beginnen, from Old English beginnan (“to begin”), from Proto-West Germanic *biginnan, from Proto-Germanic *biginnaną (“to begin”), from be- + base verb *ginnaną also found in Old English onginnan.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
noun

Beginning; start.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English beginnen, from Old English beginnan (“to begin”), from Proto-West Germanic *biginnan, from Proto-Germanic *biginnaną (“to begin”), from be- + base verb *ginnaną also found in Old English onginnan.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "beginnen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English beginnen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "beginnan",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to begin"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English beginnan (“to begin”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*biginnan"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *biginnan"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*biginnaną",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to begin"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *biginnaną (“to begin”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "onginnan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English onginnan"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "beginnen",
      "beginnen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "beginnan",
      "beginnan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*biginnan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/biginnan"
    ],
    [
      "*biginnaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/biginnaną"
    ],
    [
      "be-",
      "be-#English"
    ],
    [
      "onginnan",
      "onginnan#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Beginning; start."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "nonstandard"
      ],
      "recordId": "450cf3d18c4c1ecbd31669eaf67514bab615f1519750b987bf0dc01f37a8a037",
      "rawRecordSha256": "57beed6158e7e4ff1a0e86e27e9938bd73e0cdcf2befb641ffc3964be1abf025",
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  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To start, to initiate or take the first step into something. · To come into existence.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English beginnen, from Old English beginnan (“to begin”), from Proto-West Germanic *biginnan, from Proto-Germanic *biginnaną (“to begin”), from be- + base verb *ginnaną also found in Old English onginnan.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "beginnen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English beginnen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "beginnan",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to begin"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English beginnan (“to begin”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*biginnan"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *biginnan"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*biginnaną",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to begin"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *biginnaną (“to begin”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "onginnan"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English onginnan"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "beginnen",
      "beginnen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "beginnan",
      "beginnan#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "*biginnan",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/biginnan"
    ],
    [
      "*biginnaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/biginnaną"
    ],
    [
      "be-",
      "be-#English"
    ],
    [
      "onginnan",
      "onginnan#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Sranan Tongo",
      "lang_code": "srn",
      "word": "bigin",
      "descendants": [
        {
          "lang": "Aukan",
          "lang_code": "djk",
          "word": "bigin"
        },
        {
          "lang": "Saramaccan",
          "lang_code": "srm",
          "word": "bigí"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To start, to initiate or take the first step into something.",
        "To come into existence."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "ergative",
        "intransitive"
      ],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for begin →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-YmVnaW4