begin (English)

Where does "begin" come from?

The English verb 'begin' traces its lineage through Middle English 'beginnen' and Old English 'beginnan'[1]. These forms descend from Proto-West Germanic '*biginnan' and Proto-Germanic '*biginnaną', combining a prefix with the base verb '*ginnaną'[1]. Connections to deeper roots remain debated[4].

Open questions

• The ultimate Proto-Indo-European origins of the root '*ginnaną' are disputed, with proposals pointing to roots meaning 'to take', 'to arise or begin', or 'to gape or yawn'. [4]
• The simplex verb '*ginnan' is not attested in Proto-West Germanic and is reconstructed from Proto-Germanic. [5]

Full etymology tree

• begin (English), 'To start, to initiate or take the first step into something.'
  • inherited beginnen (Middle English), 'to start, begin'
    • inherited beginnan (Old English), 'to begin'
      • inherited *biginnan (Proto-West Germanic), 'to start, to begin'
        • inherited *ginnaną (Proto-Germanic), 'to begin'
          • prefix be- (Proto-Germanic)

Ancestors

• beginnen (Middle English)
• beginnan (Old English)
• *biginnan (Proto-West Germanic)
• *ginnaną (Proto-Germanic)

Cognates and doublets

• onginnan (Old English)

Descendants and derived words

• begin at the wrong end (English)
• beginnable (English)
• beginner (English)
• beginning (English)
• beginning (English)
• beginning (English)
• begin upon (English)
• begin with the chucky (English)
• misbegun (English)
• rebegin (English)
• to begin with (English)
• unbegun (English)

Related words

• commence (English)

Sources

1. begin (English) - Wiktionary
2. beginnen (Middle English) - Wiktionary
3. beginnan (Old English) - Wiktionary
4. ginnaną (Proto-Germanic) - Wiktionary
5. biginnan (Proto-West Germanic) - Wiktionary

Updated October 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris