Commencement
Pronunciation : Com*mence"ment
Part of Speech : n.
Etymology : [F. comencement.]
Definition : 1. The first existence of anything; act or fact of commencing; rise; origin; beginnig; start. The time of Henry VII . . . nearly coincides with the commencement of what is termed "modern history."
2. The day when degrees are conferred by colleges and universities upon students and others.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913