Etymology Explorer › Russian

Where does “начать” come from?

начать (Russian) comes from Old East Slavic начѧти, from Proto-Slavic načęti, from Proto-Indo-European ḱen- — to set oneself in motion, arise.

Ancestry of “начать”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old East Slavicначѧти—
2Proto-Slavicnačętito begin
3Proto-Indo-Europeanḱen-to set oneself in motion, arise

Words derived from “начать”

  • начаться
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱen- →