# commence

Pronunciation: say "kuh-MENS" US/UK /kəˈmɛns/, AUS /kəˈmens/

## Verb

1. To begin or get started.
   - Simple: To start or begin happening.
   - _Negotiations commence on Monday after weeks of preparation._
   - _The performance commenced precisely as the lights dimmed._

## Verb

2. To begin to be something, or to begin to act in the role of something. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: To start to be something, or to start acting as something.
3. To take a degree at a university, formally proceeding to graduation. *(dated, UK)*
   - Simple: To finish your studies and take a degree at a university.
   - _He commenced at Cambridge in 1850, taking his bachelor's degree with honors._
   - _Scholars typically commence only after years of residence and examination._

## Origin

Commence comes from Middle English commencen, borrowed from Anglo-Norman comencer, which came from Vulgar Latin *cominitiāre. This was formed from Latin com- plus initiō, the same root that gives English 'initiate'.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/commence (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).