different between beginning vs begin

English

Alternative forms

• begynnynge (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• enPR: b?g?'n?ng, IPA^(key): /b????.n??/

Etymology 1

From Middle English biginning, beginninge, beginnunge, equivalent to begin +? -ing.

Noun

beginning (countable and uncountable, plural beginnings)

1. (uncountable) The act of doing that which begins anything; commencement of an action, state, or space of time; entrance into being or upon a course; the first act, effort, or state of a succession of acts or states.
2. That which is begun; a rudiment or element.
3. That which begins or originates something; the source or first cause.

   What was the beginning of the dispute?

4. The initial portion of some extended thing.

   The author describes the main character's youth at the beginning of the story.

   That house is at the beginning of the street.

   • 1975, Frances Keinzley, The Cottage at Chapelyard, page 179,

     "Is anything the matter?" Lady Lindstrom asked anxiously.

     "No," Megan told her. "I'm merely trying to decide where the beginning is."

     "Perhaps at the beginning," the Chief Constable prompted, rather stupidly, Megan thought.

     "Which beginning?" she asked.

Usage notes

"In the beginning" is an idiomatic expression that means "at first, initially"; it does not mean the same as "at the beginning".

The meaning of "at the beginning" is clear from its parts. This expression is used to refer to the time when or place where something starts; it is used to refer to points in time and space and also to fairly long periods of time and fairly large extents of space. ("At the beginning of the story" can be used to refer to both the first few sentences and to the first chapter or chapters. "At the beginning of the trail" can be used to refer to both the first few meters and the first part of a trail, which can be quite substantial, even a fifth or fourth or more.)

The originally rare and traditionally deprecated usage of "in the beginning of" (instead of "at the beginning of") has become more common but is still ignored by most dictionaries and other authorities or labeled as unidiomatic or incorrect. Interestingly, there is only rarely confusion between the parallel expressions "in the end" and "at the end (of)".

Synonyms

• (act of doing that which begins anything): commencing, start, starting
• (that which is begun; rudiment or element): element, embryo, rudiment
• (that which begins or originates something): origin, source, start, commencement
• (initial portion of some extended thing): head, start

Antonyms

• (act of doing that which begins anything): conclusion, end

Derived terms

• a good beginning makes a good ending
• beginning of day
• in the beginning

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English begynnyng, bygynnynge, From Old English *beginnende (attested only as Old English onginnende), from Proto-Germanic *biginnandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *biginnan? (“to begin”), equivalent to begin +? -ing.

Verb

beginning

1. present participle of begin

Adjective

beginning (not comparable)

1. (informal) Of or relating to the first portion of some extended thing.

   in the beginning paragraph of the chapter

   in the beginning section of the course

Translations

Synonyms

• first
• initial

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b????n/, /b????n/, /bi???n/
• Rhymes: -?n

Verb

begin (third-person singular simple present begins, present participle beginning, simple past began, past participle begun)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To start, to initiate or take the first step into something.
2. (intransitive) To be in the first stage of some situation

3. (intransitive) To come into existence.

Synonyms

• commence
• initiate
• start

Derived terms

• beginning
• beginner

Translations

Noun

begin (plural begins)

1. (nonstandard) Beginning; start.

References

• begin in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• begin in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Anagrams

• Bengi, being, beïng, binge

Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b????n/
• Hyphenation: be?gin
• Rhymes: -?n

Etymology 1

From Middle Dutch begin, from Old Dutch *bigin, *bigen, from Proto-Germanic *biginnaz (“beginning”), from Proto-Germanic *biginnin? (“to begin”). Compare Old Dutch anagen, anagenni (“beginning”).

Noun

begin n (uncountable, diminutive beginnetje n)

1. start, beginning

Synonyms

• aanvang
• start

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the main entry.

Verb

begin

1. first-person singular present indicative of beginnen
2. imperative of beginnen

Anagrams

• benig

Middle Dutch

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

begin n

1. beginning, start
2. origin, source

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Dutch: begin
• Limburgish: begin

Further reading

• “beghin (I)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929) , “begin”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, ?ISBN

Volapük

Noun

begin (nominative plural begins)

1. beginning

Declension