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.
The initial portion of some extended thing.
That which is begun; a rudiment or element.
That which begins or originates something; the source or first cause.
Of or relating to the first portion of some extended thing.
The act of investing, or state of being invested.
A placement of capital in expectation of deriving income or profit from its use or appreciation.
A mixture of silica sand and plaster which, by surrounding a wax pattern, creates a negative mold of the form used for casting, among other metals, bronze.
The act of surrounding, blocking up, or besieging by an armed force, or the state of being so surrounded.