the act of starting something; "he was responsible for the beginning of negotiations"
the first part or section of something; "`It was a dark and stormy night' is a hackneyed beginning for a story"
the event consisting of the start of something; "the beginning of the war"
the place where something begins, where it springs into being; "the Italian beginning of the Renaissance"; "Jupiter was the origin of the radiation"; "Pittsburgh is the source of the Ohio River"; "communism's Russian root"
the time at which something is supposed to begin; "they got an early start"; "she knew from the get-go that he was the man for her"
to prepare verbally, either for written or spoken delivery; "prepare a report"; "prepare a speech"
lead up to and soften by sounding the dissonant note in it as a consonant note in the preceding chord; "prepare the discord in bar 139"
prepare (someone) for a future role or function; "He is grooming his son to become his successor"; "The prince was prepared to become King one day"; "They trained him to be a warrior"
things needed for doing or making something; "writing materials"; "useful teaching materials"
information (data or ideas or observations) that can be used or reworked into a finished form; "the archives provided rich material for a definitive biography"
a person judged suitable for admission or employment; "he was university material"; "she was vice-presidential material"
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object; "coal is a hard black material"; "wheat is the stuff they use to make bread"
derived from or composed of matter; "the material universe"
directly relevant to a matter especially a law case; "his support made a material difference"; "evidence material to the issue at hand"; "facts likely to influence the judgment are called material facts"; "a material witness"
concerned with or affecting physical as distinct from intellectual or psychological well-being; "material needs"; "the moral and material welfare of all good citizens"- T.Roosevelt
concerned with worldly rather than spiritual interests; "material possessions"; "material wealth"; "material comforts"