the.com/starter
The thing that gets things going—until it stops, then it's just expensive paste.
means A beginning component: an engine's cranking motor, a meal's first course, or a fermented culture that leavens bread.
from From Old English 'styrian,' to stir or set in motion—the word literally agitates things into existence.
Sourdough ageSome bakery starters are over 100 years old.
Car cranksElectric starter ended hand-crank arm injuries in 1912.
Naming logicAppetizers 'start' the meal; nobody starts the engine.