Meanings
begun1
- participlepastpast participle of begin
... when he should take the sield, that city was persuaded to complete the regiment they had begun to form, under the command of a Colonel whom the King had recommended to them ; which they did raise to the number of a thousand men.
1807, Edward Hyde (1st earl of Clarendon.), The history of the rebellion and civil wars in England, begun in the year 1641. 3 vols. [each in 2 pt.]., page 717 - nonstandardobsoletepastsimple past of beginFirst known use 17th–20th c.
When we've been there ten thousand years, Bright shining as the sun, We've no less days to sing God's praise, Than when we first begun.
1790 (Amazing Grace)
- Having begun.
Begun2
Origin
- Russianбегу́н“runner”
- EnglishBegun
Two possible origins: * Borrowed from Russian бегу́н (begún, “runner”), a nickname used in the local Jewish community. Doublet of Biegun and Bihun, from Polish and Ukrainian respectively. * A variant of Begum, an Indian surname found in the Muslim community.
More words from Russian
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with begun
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Cite this entry
begun. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/begun
“begun.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/begun. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “begun,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/begun.
Source: begun on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.