I.to begin to do something, to take in hand (syn. incoho; in class. prose, viz. in Cic., only in the tempp. press., while coepi is used in the tempp. perff.); constr. usually with the inf., less freq. absol., with the acc., ab, or adv. of place or time.
I. Act.
(α).
With inf.: “ut homines mortem vel optare incipiant vel certe timere desistant,” Cic. Tusc. 1, 49, 117: “huic incipio sententiae diffidere,” id. ib. 5, 1, 3: “prius quam incipit tinnire,” Plaut. As. 2, 4, 42: “bella gerere,” Cic. N. D. 2, 3, 9: “leges neglegere,” id. Rep. 1, 43 fin.: “queri cum multis incipiunt,” Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 23, § 56: “nimis cito diligere,” id. Lael. 21, 78: “amare aliquem,” id. ib. 16, 60: “fossas complere,” Caes. B. G. 5, 51, 4: “rem frumentariam expedire,” id. B. C. 1, 54, 4: “triplicem aciem ducere,” id. ib. 1, 64, 7; “2, 30, 1: cum maturescere frumenta inciperent,” id. ib. 6, 29, 4; cf. id. ib. 3, 49, 1: “cum primum pabuli copia esse inciperet,” id. B. G. 2, 2, 2; cf.: “ictus erat, qua crus esse incipit,” Ov. M. 6, 255; 8, 474; 15, 256: “opes pellere dominatione,” Sall. H. 3, 61, 3: “si res explicare incipiam,” Nep. Pelop. 1: “Bessus agere gratias incipit,” Curt. 5, 12, 1: “cenare,” Suet. Aug. 74: “promovere scalas,” Tac. A. 15, 4 fin.: “si dormire incipis ortu luciferi,” Juv. 8, 11: “male quod mulier facere incepit, nisi id efficere perpetrat, etc.... Si bene facere incepit, etc. (shortly afterward, occeperunt),” Plaut. Truc. 2, 5, 12 and 14: “satis nequam sum, utpote qui hodie inceperim Amare,” id. Rud. 2, 5, 5.—
(β).
Absol.: “ut incipiendi ratio fuerit, ita sit desinendi modus,” Cic. Off. 1, 37, 135; cf. Plin. Ep. 9, 4, 1; Sen. Ep. 116: “dum incipimus,” Quint. 11, 3, 144: “dum deliberamus, quando incipiendum sit, incipere jam serum est,” id. 12, 6, 3: “in incipiendo, etc.,” id. 11, 1, 6: ac statim sic rex incipit, thus begins (to speak), Sall. J. 109 fin.; cf.: “nec sic incipies, ut scriptor cyclicus olim: Fortunam Priami, etc.,” Hor. A. P. 136: “sic incipit, with a foll. direct quotation,” id. S. 2, 6, 79; Ov. M. 9, 281; “and simply incipit,” Hor. S. 1, 9, 21: “sapere aude, Incipe,” make a beginning, begin, id. Ep. 1, 2, 41; Juv. 4, 34: “priusquam incipias, consulto opus est,” Sall. C. 1, 6: “turpe inceptu est,” Ter. Phorm. 2, 4, 16: “incipientes atque adhuc teneri (pueri),” who are beginning to learn, beginners, Quint. 1, 2, 26: “incipiens,” id. 2, 5, 18; 2, 6, 5; 8 prooem. § 1; 3; “10, 7, 18: quoties madidum ver incipit,” Juv. 9, 52 al. —
(γ).
With acc. (once in Cic., once in Cæs., v. infra): “facinus audax incipit,” Plaut. Aul. 3, 4, 1: “facinus,” Sall. C. 20, 3: “pugilatum,” Plaut. Capt. 4, 2, 13: “iter,” id. Cas. 4, 4, 2: “aliquid novi negotii,” Ter. Phorm. 4, 4, 29: “bellum (opp. deponere),” Sall. J. 83, 1: “tam prava,” id. ib. 64, 2: “indigna nobis,” id. H. 2, 41, 8: “opus,” Liv. 7, 34, 13: “bellum,” id. 21, 21, 6; 26, 37, 9; 42, 43, 3: “sementem,” Verg. G. 1, 230: “Maenalios versus,” id. E. 8, 21: “si id facere non potueris, quod, ut opinio mea fert, ne incipies quidem,” Cic. Planc. 19, 48; Quint. 1, 12, 5: “iter mihi incepi,” Plaut. Cas. 2, 1, 16: “tantum incepi operis,” id. Men. 2, 3, 80: “mandata,” Tac. A. 12, 10; 4, 46: “auspicia a parricidio,” Just. 26, 2 init.: multa, Cat. ap. Gell. 16, 14, 2.— Pass.: “tanta incepta res est,” Plaut. Capt. 2, 1, 31: “nuptiarum gratia haec sunt ficta atque incepta,” Ter. And. 5, 1, 17; 3, 3, 7: “si inceptam oppugnationem reliquissent,” Caes. B. G. 7, 17, 6: “quia dici extremum erat, proelium non inceptum,” Sall. J. 21, 2: “proelium incipitur,” id. ib. 57, 3; “74, 2: saxis proelium incipitur,” Tac. H. 5, 17: “satis cito incipi victoriam,” id. ib. 2, 25; id. A. 2, 5; 2, 76; 12, 67 fin.: “iter inceptum celerant,” Verg. A. 8, 90: “inceptumque decurre laborem,” id. G. 2, 39: “inceptum frustra summitte furorem,” id. A. 12, 832: “deus me vetat Inceptos iambos Ad umbilicum adducere,” Hor. Epod. 14, 7: “in re incipiunda ad defendendam noxiam,” Ter. Phorm. 1, 4, 48: “in contentionibus aut incipiendis aut finiendis,” Quint. 11, 3, 128: “a tantis princeps incipiendus erat,” Ov. F. 5, 570.—
(δ).
With ab or an adv. of place or time: “a Jove incipiendum putat,” Cic. Rep. 1, 36 (acc. to the Gr. of Aratus, ἐκ Διὸς ἀρχώμεσθα): “ab illis incipit uxor,” Juv. 6, 348; Quint. 10, 1, 46: “incipiamus ab iis,” id. 9, 2, 6: “semper ab excusatione aetatis incipientem,” id. 6, 3, 76: “potissimum incipiam ab ea parte,” id. 3, 7, 1: “optime manus a sinistra parte incipit, in dextra deponitur,” id. 11, 3, 106: “amicitia incepta a parvis cum aetate accrevit simul,” Ter. And. 3, 3, 7.— Pass. impers.: “optime incipitur a longis, recte aliquando a brevibus,” Quint. 9, 4, 92.
II. Neutr., to begin to be, to begin, commence (rare but class.); constr. with abl. instrum., or absol.
(α).
With abl.: “tertius sinus Acrocerauniis incipit montibus,” Plin. 4, 1, 1, § 1: “censere ut principium anni inciperet mense Decembri,” Tac. A. 13, 10: “verbum petere quo incipiant,” Quint. 10, 7, 21.—
(β).
Absol.: “cum ver esse coeperat ... cum rosam viderat, tum incipere ver arbitrabatur,” Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 10, § 27: “quoties incipit sensus aut desinit,” Quint. 9, 4, 67: “hic annus incipit vicesimus,” Plaut. Capt. 5, 3, 3: “narrationis incipit mihi initium,” Ter. And. 4, 2, 26: “jam tum inceperat turba inter eos,” id. Eun. 4, 4, 58: “tempus erat quo prima quies mortalibus aegris Incipit,” Verg. A. 2, 269: “mox Idumaea incipit et Palaestina,” Plin. 5, 13, 14, § 68: “epistula, quam incipiente febricula scripseras,” Cic. Att. 7, 8, 2: “incipientes curas principis onerari,” Tac. A. 1, 19: “incipiens adhuc et nondum adulta seditio,” id. H. 1, 31: “incipiens omnia sentit amor,” Ov. A. A. 2, 648: “Menander Syracusanus incipientis juventae,” Plin. 8, 5, 5, § 14: “incipiente aestate,” id. 27, 13, 109, § 133: “trixago incipientibus hydropicis efficax,” id. 24, 15, 80, § 131: “quem (honorem) et incipientes principes et desinentes adeo concupis cunt ut auferant,” Plin. Pan. 57.—Hence, in-ceptum , i, n., a beginning, attempt, undertaking (freq. in historians and poets, but not in Cæs.; “also rare in Cic.): cujus ego non modo factum, sed inceptum ullum conatumve contra patriam deprehendero,” Cic. Cat. 2, 12, 27: “servetur ad imum, Qualis ab incepto processerit (persona),” from the beginning onwards, Hor. A. P. 127: permanere in incepto, Luccei. ap. Cic. Fam. 5, 14 fin.: “a quo incepto studioque me ambitio mala detinuerat,” Sall. C. 4, 2: “cujus neque consilium neque inceptum ullum frustra erat,” id. J. 7, 6; cf.: “ni ea res longius nos ab incepto traheret,” the subject, id. ib. 7 fin.: “absistere incepto,” Liv. 31, 26, 5: “desistere incepto,” Verg. A. 1, 37: “haerere in incepto,” id. ib. 2, 654: “peragere inceptum,” id. ib. 4, 452; cf.: “perficere inceptum,” Sall. J. 11 fin.: “piget incepti,” Verg. A. 5, 678: “nunc ad inceptum redeo,” Sall. J. 4, 9; 42, 5: “turpe inceptum est,” Ter. Phorm. 2, 4, 16.— In plur.: “cupidus incepta patrandi,” Sall. J. 70, 5: “juventus Catilinae inceptis favebat,” id. C. 17, 6: “incepta mea inpedivit,” id. H. 4, 61, 12; cf.: “inceptis annue, diva, meis,” Ov. Am. 3, 2, 56; and: “di nostra incepta secundent,” Verg. A. 7, 259: “gravia et magna professa,” Hor. A. P. 14.
