Com*mence"ment (?), n. [F. comencement.]
1.
The first existence of anything; act or fact of commencing; rise; origin; beginnig; start.
The time of Henry VII . . . nearly coincides with the commencement of what is termed "modern history."
allam.
2.
The day when degrees are conferred by colleges and universities upon students and others.
© Webster 1913.