COMMENCEMENT, noun 1. Beginning; rise; origin; first existence; as the commencement of New Style in 1752; the commencement of hostilities in 1775. 2. The time when students in colleges commence bachelors; a day in which degrees are publicly conferred on students who have finished a collegiate education. In Cambridge, Eng., the day when masters of arts and doctors complete their degrees.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI