Definition of commencement noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary



    BrE BrE//kəˈmensmənt//
    ; NAmE NAmE//kəˈmensmənt//
    [uncountable, countable, usually singular] Exams and degrees
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  1. 1(formal) beginning the commencement of the financial year You will be required to enrol at the commencement of each academic year.
  2. 2(North American English) a ceremony at which students receive their academic degrees or diplomas synonym graduation See related entries: Exams and degrees
  3. Word Origin Middle English: from Old French, from the verb commencier, based on Latin com- (expressing intensive force) + initiare ‘begin’.
See the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary entry: commencement