Commencement - Definition

n 1: 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" [syn: beginning, commencement, first,
outset, get-go, start, kickoff, starting time,
showtime, offset] [ant: end, ending, middle]
2: an academic exercise in which diplomas are conferred [syn:
commencement, commencement exercise, commencement
ceremony, graduation, graduation exercise]
3: the act of starting something; "he was responsible for the
beginning of negotiations" [syn: beginning, start,
commencement] [ant: finish, finishing]