commencement

French commencement.

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commencement (countable and uncountable, plural commencements)

1. The first existence of anything; act or fact of commencing

   The time of Henry VII nearly coincides with the commencement of what is termed modern history.

   Synonyms: rise, origin, beginning, start, dawn

   • 1800, William Took, View of the Russian empire during the reign of Catharine the Second

     Yet from the commencement of mining there have been unnoble proprietors of mines, who belonged to the class of merchants.

2. The day when degrees are conferred by colleges and universities upon students and others.
3. A graduation ceremony, from a school, college or university.

• (graduation ceremony): convocation

• commence

• commencement in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Old French comencement, corresponding to commencer +‎ -ment

• IPA^(key): /kɔ.mɑ̃s.mɑ̃/

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commencement m (plural commencements)

1. beginning, start

• “commencement” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Old French comencement, corresponding to commencer +‎ -ment

commencement m (plural commencemens)

1. beginning, start