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unbegun

unbegun

9.9
Having no start and lasting forever
  • adjective
  • /ˌʌn.bɪˈɡʌn/
  • Archaic
translation icon : iniciado
  • In the ancient texts, God is often described as the unbegun source of all creation.

Examples

  • The unbegun nature of the cosmos suggests a timeless reality beyond human understanding.

  • Philosophers debate the nature of the unbegun universe and its implications for existence.

  • A stammering, hermetic age of unbegun beginnings.

    Fiction book (1997)
  • And then afterwards came the poems, and then Native Realm, which I read like the Bible, like my own birth certificate, like my own medical chart, a book I've read around seven times and know practically by heart but still can't repeat to anyone else, but which allows me to understand myself and my own fate -- imperfect, unbegun, unfinished.

    Fiction book (1994)

Synonyms

uncreated
vsunbegun
  • Formal
1 9.3

Existing without a beginning or cause

is used especially in theology to mean eternal rather than a neutral fact
unbegotten
vsunbegun
  • Archaic
9.9

Existing without being born or made by something

emphasizes eternal status in archaic theology rather than simple absence of birth

Surface Forms

unbegun positive

Morphology

unbegun = begun (semi-transparent) = un + begun

Formally 'un-' + 'begun' is interpretable as 'not begun', but the theological/archaic sense 'without beginning; eternal' is specialized and may not be inferable by an average learner.

Etymology

Unbegun was used in old religious and philosophical writing to mean something 'without a beginning' or 'everlasting'. It comes from un- 'not' and begun, from begin 'to start', so unbegun describes a being or universe that was not started and has no first moment.