starter

noun14

1. •
   Someone who starts, or who starts something.
2. •
   Something with which to begin; a first property, etc.

   • It's small, but it's a good starter house.
3. •
   The first course of a meal, consisting of a small, usually savoury, dish.
4. •
   A starting pitcher.
5. •
   A player in the lineup of players that a team fields at the beginning of a game.

   • Goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga wasn’t a starter at Fulham. — 2024
6. •
   Something that starts something.
7. •
   An electric motor that starts an internal combustion engine.
8. •
   A device that initiates the flow of high voltage electricity in a fluorescent lamp.
9. •
   A yeast culture, or a medium containing one, used to start a fermentation process.
10. •
    The person who starts a race by firing a gun or waving a flag.
11. •
    A person employed to take new players to the first tee at suitable intervals, and to provide them with caddies and equipment.
12. •
    Ellipsis of starter signal.
13. •
    A dog that rouses game.
14. •
    (UK, historical) A short length of rope formerly used for casual chastisement in the Navy.