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To put or fix before, or at the beginning of, another thing; as, to prefix a syllable to a word, or a condition to an agreement.

A formative letter at the beginning of a word. M. Stuart.

Matters previously stated or set forth; esp., that part in the beginning of a deed, the office of which is to express the grantor and grantee, and the land or thing granted or conveyed, and all that precedes the habendum; the thing demised or granted.

The first part; the earliest stage; the beginning or opening, as of the day, the year, etc.; hence, the dawn; the spring. Chaucer. In the very prime of the world. Hooker. Hope waits upon the flowery prime. Waller.

Of or pertaining to the beginning or origin, or to early times; original; primordial; primeval; first; as, primitive innocence; the primitive church. "Our primitive great sire." Milton.

At the beginning; under the first order of things; originally.

First principles; fundamental beginnings; elements; as. Newton's Principia.

Relating to principles or beginnings. [R.] Jer. Taylor.

Beginning; commencement. [Obs.] Doubting sad end of principle unsound. Spenser.

Beginning; predisposing; exciting; initial. [Obs.]

he whole course of proceedings in a cause real or personal, civil or criminal, from the beginning to the end of the suit; strictly, the means used for bringing the defendant into court to answer to the action; -- a generic term for writs of the class called judicial. Deacon's process Etym: [from H. Deacon, who introduc…

The prefixing of one or more letters to the beginning of a word, as in beloved.

Pertaining to, or designating, architecture, in which the beginnings of the Doric style are supposed to be found.

reement, contract, grant, or other writing, by which a condition is introduced, usually beginning with the word provided; a conditional stipulation that affects an agreement, contract, law, grant, or the like; as, the contract was impaired by its proviso. He doth deny his prisoners, But with proviso and exception. Shak…

d measuring two or more pica ems in length and breadth, used in the blank spaces at the beginning and end of chapters, etc. Quotation marks (Print.), two inverted commas placed at the beginning, and two apostrophes at the end, of a passage quoted from an author in his own words.

, and which causes the latter to point towards the side to which it was directed at the beginning of labor.

scover; to disclose; -- usually with up. They ripped up all that had been done from the beginning of the rebellion. Clarendon. For brethern to debate and rip up their falling out in the ear of a common enemy . . . is neither wise nor comely. Milton.

To have a beginning; to proceed; to originate; as, rivers rise in lakes or springs. A scepter shall rise out of Israel. Num. xxiv. 17. Honor and shame from no condition rise. Pope.

mber, and December, having a total of 304 days. Numa added two months, Januarius at the beginning of the year, and Februarius at the end, making in all 355 days. He also ordered an intercalary month, Mercedinus, to be inserted every second year. Later the order of the months was changed so that January should come befo…

r undeveloped; the principle which lies at the bottom of any development; an unfinished beginning. but I will bring thee where thou soon shalt quit Those rudiments, and see before thine eyes The monarchies of the earth. Milton. the single leaf is the rudiment of beauty in landscape. I. Taylor.