1. To have an original or first existence; to take rise; to commence.
As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, who have been since the world began. Luke 1.
Judgment must begin at the house of God. 1 Pet 4.
From Nimrod first the savage race began.
And tears began to flow.
2. To do the first act; to enter upon something new; to take the first step; as, begin, my muse.
Begin every day to repent.
When I begin, I will also make an end. 1 Sam 3.
v.t. To do the first act of any thing; to enter on; to commence.
Ye nymphs of Solyma, begin the song.
And this they begin to do. Gen 11.
2. To trace from any thing, as the first ground; to lay the foundation.
The apostle begins our knowledge in the creatures, which leads us to the knowledge of God.
To begin with, to enter upon first; to use or employ first; as, to begin with the Latin Grammar; to begin business with a small capital.