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com·mence

(kə-mĕns)

v. com·menced, com·menc·ing, com·menc·es

v.tr.

To begin; start. See Synonyms at begin.

v.intr.

To enter upon or have a beginning; start.

[Middle English commencen, from Old French comencier, from Vulgar Latin *cominitiāre : Latin com-, intensive pref.; see COM- + Late Latin initiāre, to begin (from Latin initium, beginning; see ei- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots).]

com·mencer n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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