commencement : Dictionary / Wörterbuch (BEOLINGUS, TU Chemnitz)

English Dictionary: commencement	by the DICT Development Group
2 results for commencement
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
commencement n 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" Synonym(s): beginning, commencement, first, outset, get-go, start, kickoff, starting time, showtime, offset Antonym(s): end, ending, middle an academic exercise in which diplomas are conferred Synonym(s): commencement, commencement exercise, commencement ceremony, graduation, graduation exercise the act of starting something; "he was responsible for the beginning of negotiations" Synonym(s): beginning, start, commencement Antonym(s): finish, finishing
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]:
Commencement \Commence"ment\, n. [F. commencement.] 1. The first existence of anything; act or fact of commencing; rise; origin; beginning; start. The time of Henry VII. . . . nearly coincides with the commencement* of what is termed [bd]modern history.[b8] --Hallam. 2. The day when degrees are conferred by colleges and universities upon students and others.