ABSTRACT
Borrowed from the Middle Low German beginnen,1 the Danish noun Begyndelse means the commencement or genesis of an action as seen, for example, at the start of a film, story, or speech. It further signifies that by which something begins, the first part of something, or its origin, source, or cause. It can also mean the first trace, first step, or first attempt. The verb begynde means to make the first step, to enter, to let something be the point of departure or serve as the introduction, to initiate or inaugurate.2 Kierkegaard sometimes uses the nominalized present participle (en Begyndende) to mean a beginner.
