commencement

com·mence·ment  (k-mnsmnt)

n.

1. A beginning; a start.

2.

a. A ceremony at which academic degrees or diplomas are conferred.

b. The day on which such a ceremony occurs.

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commencement

Noun

1. the beginning; start

2. US & Canad a graduation ceremony

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	commencement - the time at which something is supposed to begin; "they got an early start"; "she knew from the get-go that he was the man for her" get-go, offset, outset, showtime, starting time, start, kickoff, beginning, first birth - the time when something begins (especially life); "they divorced after the birth of the child"; "his election signaled the birth of a new age" incipience, incipiency - beginning to exist or to be apparent; "he placed the incipience of democratic faith at around 1850"; "it is designed to arrest monopolies in their incipiency" point in time, point - an instant of time; "at that point I had to leave" starting point, terminus a quo - earliest limiting point threshold - the starting point for a new state or experience; "on the threshold of manhood"
	2.	commencement - an academic exercise in which diplomas are conferred commencement ceremony, commencement exercise, graduation exercise, graduation baccalaureate - a farewell sermon to a graduating class at their commencement ceremonies exercise - (usually plural) a ceremony that involves processions and speeches; "academic exercises"
	3.	commencement - the act of starting something; "he was responsible for the beginning of negotiations" beginning, start change of state - the act of changing something into something different in essential characteristics jumping-off point, point of departure, springboard - a beginning from which an enterprise is launched; "he uses other people's ideas as a springboard for his own"; "reality provides the jumping-off point for his illusions"; "the point of departure of international comparison cannot be an institution but must be the function it carries out" activation - making active and effective (as a bomb) tone-beginning, attack - a decisive manner of beginning a musical tone or phrase establishment, constitution, formation, organisation, organization - the act of forming or establishing something; "the constitution of a PTA group last year"; "it was the establishment of his reputation"; "he still remembers the organization of the club" first appearance, introduction, debut, entry, launching, unveiling - the act of beginning something new; "they looked forward to the debut of their new product line" face-off - (ice hockey) the method of starting play; a referee drops the puck between two opposing players first step, opening move, initiative, opening - the first of a series of actions groundbreaking, groundbreaking ceremony - the ceremonial breaking of the ground to formally begin a construction project housing start - the act of starting to construct a house icebreaker - a beginning that relaxes a tense or formal atmosphere; "he told jokes as an icebreaker" inauguration, startup - the act of starting a new operation or practice; "he opposed the inauguration of fluoridation"; "the startup of the new factory was delayed by strikes" founding, instauration, origination, initiation, innovation, creation, institution, introduction, foundation - the act of starting something for the first time; introducing something new; "she looked forward to her initiation as an adult"; "the foundation of a new scientific society" installation, installing, instalment, installment - the act of installing something (as equipment); "the telephone installation took only a few minutes" jump ball - (basketball) the way play begins or resumes when possession is disputed; an official tosses the ball up between two players who jump in an effort to tap it to a teammate kickoff - (football) a kick from the center of the field to start a football game or to resume it after a score recommencement, resumption - beginning again scrum, scrummage - (rugby) the method of beginning play in which the forwards of each team crouch side by side with locked arms; play starts when the ball is thrown in between them and the two sides compete for possession startup - the act of setting in operation; "repeated shutdowns and startups are expensive"

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commencement

noun beginning, start, opening, launch, birth, origin, dawn, outset, onset, initiation, inauguration, inception, embarkation

Translations

commencement [kəˈmɛnsmənt] (US) commence n (University) → remise f des diplômes