BEGAN
What does "BEGAN" mean?
The simple past tense of 'begin' - to have started.
Meanings
- Past tense of 'begin': to have come into being or started to happen or act. The rain began just as we reached the car.
Did you know?
- 'Begin, began, begun' is a strong-verb pattern English inherited from its Germanic roots: the meaning rides on the changing middle vowel - i, a, u - not on adding '-ed', the same kind of shift you hear in sing, sang, sung.
Word origin
The past tense of 'begin', from Old English 'beginnan'; English keeps a three-step vowel ladder inherited from its Germanic ancestors - begin, began, begun.
Remember it
The ladder runs i-a-u: beGIn, beGAn, beGUn - past tense takes the middle rung, A.
A little poem
It began so small we barely marked the day -
one yes, one step, and then there was no way back.
couplet
Wordplay
- Why is 'began' a humble word? It never takes credit - it just admits something started, then steps aside for what came next.
What it teaches
Almost nothing announces itself as the beginning; we only name the start once it has already grown too large to ignore.
Quick facts
What does BEGAN mean?
The simple past tense of 'begin' - to have started.
Is BEGAN a valid word?
Yes — BEGAN is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is BEGAN?
BEGAN has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does BEGAN come from?
The past tense of 'begin', from Old English 'beginnan'; English keeps a three-step vowel ladder inherited from its Germanic ancestors - begin, began, begun.
What can BEGAN teach us?
Almost nothing announces itself as the beginning; we only name the start once it has already grown too large to ignore.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.