beginning

[ bih-gin-ing ]

noun

1. an act or circumstance of entering upon an action or state:

   the beginning of hostilities.

   Synonyms: inception, inauguration, initiation

   Antonyms: ending

2. the point of time or space at which anything begins:

   the beginning of the Christian era; the beginning of the route.

   Synonyms: emergence, onset, outset, commencement, start

   Antonyms: end

3. the first part:

   the beginning of the book; the beginning of the month.

4. Often beginnings. the initial stage or part of anything:

   the beginnings of science.

5. origin; source; first cause:

   A misunderstanding about the rent was the beginning of their quarrel.

adjective

1. just formed:

   a beginning company.

2. first; opening:

   the beginning chapters of a book.

3. basic or introductory:

   beginning Spanish.

4. learning the fundamentals:

   a beginning swimmer.

beginning

/ bɪˈɡɪnɪŋ /

noun

1. a start; commencement
2. often plural a first or early part or stage
3. the place where or time when something starts
4. an origin; source

Word History and Origins

Origin of beginning¹

First recorded in 1175–1225, beginning is from the Middle English word beginnung, begonning. See begin, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

And secondly, the beginnings of a parallel, perhaps, with the rows Labour had with many in rural Britain the last time it was in power.

From BBC

“We continue to allow our party to align ourselves with the wealthiest few and everyday people are beginning to take notice.”

From Salon

"In this life, everything has a beginning and an end."

From BBC

"At the beginning he was seen as a sort of Robin Hood character who was helping people obtain cannabis," she said.

From BBC

In May, Delfino Barragan, the warehouse operations and safety manager for the clothing brands, acknowledged in a court filing that, for four weeks beginning last December, BaronHR was “failing to pay its staff.”

From New York Times

Related Words

• birth
• creation
• dawn
• inauguration
• inception
• introduction
• onset
• opening
• outset
• starting point
• top

How Do You Spell Beginning?

Spelling tips for beginning

The word beginning is hard to spell for two reasons. It doesn’t simply combine the base word (begin) with the suffix -ing, as is done in other easy-to-remember words that end in -ing, like starting and talking. Also, it can be tempting to use a double g (beggining) instead of a double n. 

How to spell beginning: To spell beginning, you take the base word begin and add an n at the end. Then, add the suffix -ing. Why do you need an extra n? Because you should begin right Now.