Meaning

verb take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

verb have a beginning, in a temporal, spatial, or evaluative sense

verb set in motion, cause to start

originTwo possible origins: * Borrowed from Russian бегу́н (begún, “runner”), a nickname used in the local Jewish community. Doublet of Biegun and Bihun, from Polish and Ukrainian respectively. * A variant of Begum, an Indian surname found in the Muslim community.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0