beginners

ĕlĕmentum, i, n. [root al-, to nourish; Gr. an-al-tos, alsos; Lat. alo, alimentum, etc.; cf. Sanscr. al-akā, a girl ], a first principle, element (cf.: initium, principium, exordium, primordium); Gr. stoicheion.

Lit., in plur.:

nec de elementis video dubitari quatuor esse ea,

Plin. 2, 5, 4, § 10; Lucr. 1, 827; 913; 2, 393 et saep.; Cic. Ac. 1, 7, 26; Sen. Q. N. 3, 12 sq.; Quint. 2, 17, 38; 3, 8, 31; Ov. M. 15, 237; 1, 29; Vulg. 2 Pet. 3, 10.—In sing., Plin. 10, 69, 88, § 191; 11, 36, 42, § 119; 31, 1, 1, § 1; Juv. 15, 86; Amm. 17, 13:

quia ignis inviolabile sit elementum,

Lact. 1, 12 med.; 7, 9 al.—

Transf.

The alphabet, Suet. Caes. 56 (cf. Prisc. 538 P.).—More freq.,

Transf., the first principles, rudiments, in the arts and sciences (cf. doctrina, praecepta).

In gen.:

puerorum,

Cic. de Or. 1, 35, 163; cf. Quint. prooem. § 21; 1, 1, 35; Hor. S. 1, 1, 26; id. Ep. 1, 20, 17 et saep.:

loquendi,

Cic. Ac. 2, 28 fin.; cf. id. de Or. 2, 11, 45; Quint. 2, 3, 13; Ov. M. 9, 719 et saep.—

In partic.

The ten categories of Aristotle, Quint. 3, 6, 23 sq. Spald.—

Meton., elementary scholars, beginners: vix se prima elementa ad spem effingendae eloquentiae audebunt, Quint. 1, 2, 26.—

The beginnings of other things:

prima Romae,

Ov. F. 3, 179:

prima Caesaris,

id. ib. 709:

cupidinis pravi,

Hor. C. 3, 24, 52; cf.

irarum,

Sil. 3, 77:

vitiorum,

Juv. 14, 123 al.

incĭpĭo, cēpi, ceptum, 3 (archaic incepsit inceperit, Paul. ex Fest. p. 107 Müll.), v. a. and n. [in-capio; lit., to seize upon, lay hold of; opp. to desinere; hence, with the accessory idea of action), 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.

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,

id. 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.—

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. —

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.—

With ab or an adv. of place or time:

a Jove incipiendum putat,

Cic. Rep. 1, 36 (acc. to the Gr. of Aratus, ek Dios archômestha):

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.

Neutr., to begin to be, to begin, commence (rare but class.); constr. with abl. instrum., or absol.

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.—

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.