English → Latin
“beginning” in Latin
initiumbeginning, start; a going in, entrance; rites, mysteriesprī̆ncepsfirst, foremost; chief, distinguishedprīmōrdiumbeginning, origin; commencementōrdiorto begin; to begin to weave, lay the warp; to start talking aboutexōrdiorto begin, commence (originally in weaving)inceptiōa beginning, start; enterprise, undertakingtīrōciniumapprenticeship, tyrociny; first military service, first campaign, recruitment; military inexperiencebellumwarexōrdiumbeginning, commencement; introduction, preface, start or beginning of a speech; foundation, creation
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
beginning
initium (the point from which anything begins: opposed to exitus): principium (the beginning, as that part of the whole which stands before the other parts in things, and goes before them in actions: opposed to extremum): primordium (the beginning as the primeval source and origin of anything): orsus; exorsus; inceptio (have an active meaning): tirocinium (the first attempts or experiments): limen for “beginning” (e.g., belli) is to be avoided as a poetical expression. “Beginning” is often rendered by primus, um; e.g., prima epistolae verba, the beginning of a letter (Sen., Ep., 15, 1): the beginning of a disturbance, primus timultus (Liv., 1, 6): the beginning of a speech, prima orationis verba; exordium, prooemium (the introduction, never initium): the beginning of an art or science, elementa; rudimenta; incunabula: the beginning of a play, commissio: at the beginning of spring, vere novo, or ineunte vere; inito vere (if it has begun): at the beginning of night, prima nocte; primo vespere: at the beginning of day, prima luce: to relate from the beginning, ab ultimo initio repetere; altius ordiri etrepetere: to relate from beginning to end, ordine rem omnem narrare: from beginning to end, a carceribus usque ad calcem (PROVERB): the beginning of the world, principia or primordia rerum: from the beginning of the world, post homines natos; post hominum memoriam (after negatives): without beginning or end, aeternus: to have neither beginning nor end, nec principium nec finem habere: the end suits the beginning, principiis consentiunt exitus: from the beginning, a principio: in the beginning, principio.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for beginning?
- The usual Latin words for “beginning” are initium, prī̆nceps, prīmōrdium; also ōrdior, exōrdior, inceptiō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.