ex-ordĭor, orsus, 4, v. dep. a., to begin a web, to lay the warp, to weave (class.).
I Lit.: funem longum pedes LXXII., Cato R. R. 135, 4; cf. trop.: neque exordiri primum, unde occipias, habes, Neque detexundam ad telam certos terminos, Plaut. Ps. 1, 4, 7; and: pertexe modo, Antoni, quod exorsus es, Cic. de Or. 2, 33, 145.—
II Transf., in gen., to begin , commence , esp. a speech; constr. with the acc., an inf., with ab or absol.
α With acc. (so perh. not in Cic.): consilia, Plaut. As. 1, 1, 102: argutias adversus aliquem, id. Bacch. 1, 2, 19: facinus, id. ib. 4, 4, 71: hanc rem facete et callide, id. Pers. 4, 1, 7: bellum ab causa tam nefanda, Liv. 4, 17, 6: classicum ingenti spiritu, Suet. Caes. 32: tragoediam magno impetu, id. Aug. 85: causam, Quint. 4, 1, 2: preces, Ov. M. 10, 483: parricidia et caedes a Claudio, Suet. Ner. 33 et saep.—
β With inf. (Ciceronian): imitabor ergo Aratum, qui magnis de rebus dicere exordiens, a Jove incipiendum putat, Cic. Rep. 1, 36: tunc dicere exorsus est, id. Fin. 1, 8 fin. ; cf. id. Div. 2, 49, 101; and Nep. Pelop. 1 fin. —
γ With ab (class.): aut ab adversarii dicto exordiemur, aut, etc., Auct. Her. 1, 6, 10: ab ipsa re, Cic. de Or. 2, 79, 320: a veritate, a dignitate, id. ib. 2, 8, 31.—
δ Absol. (class.): ancilla hoc pacto exordiri coepit, Plaut. Cas. 3, 5, 31: jubent exordiri ita, ut eum, qui audiat, benevolum nobis faciamus, etc., Cic. de Or. 2, 19, 80; so, ita, quasi, etc., Quint. prooem. § 4: in hunc modum, Tac. A. 3, 50: his verbis, id. ib. 6, 6: clamore, Cic. Cael. 15, 38.☞ exorsus , a, um, in pass. signif. , begun , commenced : exorsa tela, Plaut. Bacch. 2, 4, 116; Visell. ap. Prisc. p. 793 P.; cf.: reperiunt ea, quibus ante exorsa et potius detexta prope retexantur, Cic. de Or. 2, 38, 158.—In the plur. subst. : exorsa , ōrum, n., a beginning , commencement : per ambages et longa exorsa aliquem tenere, a long preamble , Verg. G. 2, 45: sua cuique exorsa laborem Fortunamque ferent, beginning , undertaking , id. A. 10, 111 (opp. exitus), Amm. 14, 11, 26.