nidan verb (lower class) with 'mu' ending (archaic)
Archaic Nidan verb (lower class) with 'mu' ending, equivalent to modern 始める (はじめる). Found in classical Japanese texts; not used in modern speech.
See also: 始める (はじめる)
古事記には「天地初めて発けし時」とあり、ここでの「発く」は「始む」と同根の語である。
In the Kojiki, there is a phrase 'when heaven and earth first began,' and the word used there shares the same root as 始む.
古典の授業で「始む」は下二段活用の動詞だと習った。
In classical Japanese class, I learned that 始む is a lower bigrade verb.
Modern transitive verb meaning 'to start' or 'to begin'; 始む is its archaic equivalent.
Classical Japanese verb; the exact derivation is uncertain, but it is the older form of modern 始める (はじめる).