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Start

//stɑːt// adv, name, noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Adverb

1
Completely, utterly. archaic, dialectal
"Col.—The age has no sense—the people are start mad—as mad as a March mare. We should have fine times, indeed if our laws did'nt compel the poor people to protect the property of the rich."

Proper Noun

1
A surname from Old English.
2
The city of London, England. UK, obsolete, slang
"It is true that certain kinds of documents, especially sham hawkers’ licenses, may be had in the provinces, at prices suited to the importance of their contents, or to the probable gains of their circulation; but all the ‘regular bang-up fakes’ are manufactured in the ‘Start’ (metropolis), and sent into the country to order, carefully packed up, and free from observation."
3
Acronym of Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of

Noun

1
The beginning of an activity.
"The movie was entertaining from start to finish."
2
An instance of starting.
3
A projection or protrusion; that which pokes out.
4
A typical button for video games, originally used to start a game, now also often to pause or choose an option.
5
Acronym of simple triage and rapid treatment. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of, uncountable

Show 18 more definitions

6
the act of starting something wordnet
7
A sudden involuntary movement.
"He woke with a start."
8
The curved or inclined front and bottom of a water wheel bucket.
"The fall of water is 6 feet, and the radius of the curve is 8 feet, from the centre of the water-wheel to the extreme point of the start."
9
Alternative form of Start (“a typical button for video games, originally used to start a game, now also often to pause or choose an option”) alt-of, alternative, uncountable
10
a turn to be a starter (in a game at the beginning) wordnet
11
The beginning point of a race, a board game, etc.
"Captured pieces are returned to the start of the board."
12
The arm, or level, of a gin, drawn around by a horse.
"... horses, a number of men who seemed to acquire strength as the necessity for it increased, applied their shoulders to the starts, or shafts of the gin, and worked it with extraordinary speed. By twelve o'clock, thirty-two[…]"
13
a sudden involuntary movement wordnet
14
An appearance in a sports game, horserace, etc., from the beginning of the event.
"Jones has been a substitute before, but made his first start for the team last Sunday."
15
the advantage gained by beginning early (as in a race) wordnet
16
A young plant germinated in a pot to be transplanted later.
"You generally see nursery starts at garden centres in mid to late spring. Small annual plants are generally sold in four-packs or larger packs, with each cell holding a single young plant."
17
a signal to begin (as in a race) wordnet
18
An initial advantage over somebody else; a head start.
"to get, or have, the start"
19
the beginning of anything wordnet
20
A happening or proceeding. UK, archaic, slang
"“It's a rum start, old John Madingley's coming down to Tunnleton,” said Grafton, one evening in the smoking-room; […]"
21
a line indicating the location of the start of a race or a game wordnet
22
Alternative letter-case form of Start (“a typical button for video games, originally used to start a game, now also often to pause or choose an option”) alt-of
23
the time at which something is supposed to begin wordnet

Verb

1
To begin, commence, initiate.; To set in motion. ergative
"to start a stream of water; to start a rumour; to start a business"
2
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action wordnet
3
To begin, commence, initiate.; To begin. ergative
"The President fired the gun to start the footrace."
4
set in motion, cause to start wordnet
5
To begin, commence, initiate.; To ready the operation of a vehicle or machine. ergative
"to start the engine"

Show 22 more definitions

6
play in the starting lineup wordnet
7
To begin, commence, initiate.; To put or raise (a question, an objection); to put forward (a subject for discussion). ergative
8
bring into being wordnet
9
To begin, commence, initiate.; To bring onto being or into view; to originate; to invent. ergative
"Sensual men agree in the pursuit of every pleasure they can start."
10
get off the ground wordnet
11
To have its origin (at), begin. intransitive
"The speed limit is 50 km/h, starting at the edge of town."
12
get going or set in motion wordnet
13
To move suddenly, from a previous state of rest; to startle.; To jerk, jump up, flinch, or draw back in surprise. intransitive
"But if he start, It is the flesh of a corrupted heart."
14
begin or set in motion wordnet
15
To move suddenly, from a previous state of rest; to startle.; To awaken suddenly. intransitive
"I started from my sleep with horror; a cold dew covered my forehead, my teeth chattered, and every limb became convulsed; [...]"
16
move or jump suddenly, as if in surprise or alarm wordnet
17
To move suddenly, from a previous state of rest; to startle.; To disturb and set in motion; to alarm; to rouse; to cause to flee. transitive
"The hounds started a fox."
18
depart for someplace wordnet
19
To move suddenly, from a previous state of rest; to startle.; To come loose, to break free of a firmly set position; to displace or loosen; to dislocate. ergative
"the storm started the bolts in the vessel"
20
bulge outward wordnet
21
To put into play. transitive
"The charge against Zagallo then is not so much that he started Ronaldo, but that when it should surely have been clear that the player was in no fit state to take part he kept him on."
22
begin work or acting in a certain capacity, office or job wordnet
23
To pour out; to empty; to tap and begin drawing from. transitive
"to start a water cask"
24
begin an event that is implied and limited by the nature or inherent function of the direct object wordnet
25
To begin one's menstrual cycle. euphemistic, intransitive
"Have you started yet?"
26
have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative sense wordnet
27
have a beginning characterized in some specified way wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English stert, from the verb sterten (“to start, startle”). See below.

Etymology 2

From Middle English sterten (“to leap up suddenly, rush out”), from Old English styrtan (“to leap up, start”), from Proto-West Germanic *sturtijan (“to startle, move, set in motion”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ter- (“to be stiff”). Cognate with Old Frisian stirta (“to fall down, tumble”), Middle Dutch sterten (“to rush, fall, collapse”) (Dutch storten), Old High German sturzen (“to hurl, plunge, turn upside down”) (German stürzen), Old High German sterzan (“to be stiff, protrude”). More at stare.

Etymology 3

Etymology 4

From Middle English stert, start (“tail, handle, projection”), from Old English steort (“tail”), from Proto-West Germanic *stert, from Proto-Germanic *stertaz (“tail”). Cognate with Scots start, stairt (“side post, shaft, upright post”), Dutch staart (“tail”), German Sterz (“tail, handle”), Danish stjert (“tail of a bird”), Faroese stertur (“tail”), Icelandic stertur (“short horse tail”), Norn skjårt (“tail”), sterti (“tail of a large fish”), stjårt (“tail of a large fish”), Norwegian stjert (“tail of a bird”), Swedish stjärt (“tail, arse”).

Etymology 5

Variant of stark.

Etymology 6

The verb start, with initial uppercase letter.

Etymology 7

Topographic surname, from Old English steort (“tail, promontory”).

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