n.
The beginning or opening words of the text of a medieval manuscript or early printed book.
[From Latin, third person sing. present tense of incipere, to begin. See inception.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
