commencement
pronunciation
How to pronounce commencement in British English:
UK [kəˈmensmənt]
How to pronounce commencement in American English:
US [kəˈmɛnsmənt]
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- Noun:
- the time at which something is supposed to begin
- an academic exercise in which diplomas are conferred
- the act of starting something
Word Origin
- commencement (n.)
- late 13c., "beginning," from Old French comencement "beginning, start" (Modern French commencement), from comencier (see commence). Meaning "school graduation ceremony" attested by 1850, American English. (Sense "entrance upon the privileges of a master or doctor in a university" is from late 14c.) I know what you are thinking of -- the class members grouped in a semicircle on the stage, the three scared boys in new ready-made black suits, the seventeen pretty girls in fluffy white dresses (the gowns of the year), each senior holding a ribbon-tied manuscript bulging with thoughts on "Beyond the Alps Lies Italy," "Our Ship is Launched -- Whither Shall it Sail?" and similar topics. [Charles Moreau Harger, "The Real Commencement," "New Outlook," May 8, 1909]
Example
- 1. When steve jobs give the commencement address at stanford university in 2005 .
- 2. One of our favorite commencement speeches comes from steve jobs , who recently passed away on october 5 , 2011 .
- 3. In a may 2009 commencement speech at the university of southern california , schwarzenegger alluded to the powerful influence shriver had on his life .
- 4. And I 've found that the saccharine and over-optimistic words of the typical commencement address hold few of the lessons young people really need to hear about what lies ahead .
- 5. Perhaps some of the most valuable wisdom they received didn 't come from professors or coursework , but from the inspirational words of a ceo on the commencement podium .