From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) :
embark on
v 1: get off the ground; "Who started this company?"; "We
embarked on an exciting enterprise"; "I start my day with a
good breakfast"; "We began the new semester"; "The
afternoon session begins at 4 PM"; "The blood shed started
when the partisans launched a surprise attack" [syn:
start, start up, embark on, commence]