Etymology From Middle English biginning, beginninge, beginnunge, equivalent to begin + -ing.
1
The act of doing that which begins anything; commencement of an action, state, or space of time; entrance into being or upon a course; the first act, effort, or state of a succession of acts or states.
2
That which is begun; a rudiment or element.
3
That which begins or originates something; the source or first cause.
What was the beginning of the dispute?
4
The initial portion of some extended thing.
The author describes the main character’s youth at the beginning of the story.
That house is at the beginning of the street.
3 more examples
To mark this absolutism of change over the works of man is both pleasing and profitable, for what is more emotional than to observe the hoarness, the mellowness, and the natural final decay of objects whose beginnings date almost from the immemorial […] ?1871, The Antiquary, volumes 1-2, page 13:
Basic skills are introduced at this time, such as the use of context or meaning clues and the beginning sounds of words.1972, Mortimer J. Adler, Charles Van Doren, How to Read a Book, →ISBN, →LCCN, page 25:
“Is anything the matter?” Lady Lindstrom asked anxiously. “No,” Megan told her. “I’m merely trying to decide where the beginning is.” “Perhaps at the beginning,” the Chief Constable prompted, rather stupidly, Megan thought. “Which beginning?” she asked.1975, Frances Keinzley, The Cottage at Chapelyard, page 179:
Etymology From Middle English begynnyng, bygynnynge, From Old English *beginnende (attested only as Old English onginnende), from Proto-Germanic *biginnandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *biginnaną (“to begin”), equivalent to begin + -ing.
1
Informal Being the first portion of some extended thing.