out·set

[out-set]
noun
1.
the beginning or start: I wanted to explain the situation at the outset.

Origin:
1530–40; out- + set

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
outset (ˈaʊtˌsɛt) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
a start; beginning (esp in the phrase from (orat) the outset)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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00:10
Outset is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

outset
"act of setting out on a journey, business, etc." 1759, from out + set (v.). The earlier word for this was outsetting (1676).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

outset

see at the outset.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
It will be the first large-scale city car-sharing service to use only electric vehicles right from the outset.
His work was subjected to peer review from the outset.
But at the same time, it's surprising what you may find at a place that doesn't look that exciting at the outset.
My parents told my nan at the outset to wait until she had finished eating
  before feeding the pigeons.
Idioms & Phrases
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