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Webster 1913 Edition
Commencement
Com-mence′ment
,Noun.
[F.
commencement
.] 1.
The first existence of anything; act or fact of commencing; rise; origin; beginning; start.
The time of Henry VII. . . . nearly coincides with the
commencement
of what is termed “modern history.” Hallam.
2.
The day when degrees are conferred by colleges and universities upon students and others.
Webster 1828 Edition
Commencement
COMMENCEMENT
, n.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.