commence

Commence is a verb meaning to begin or start. It can be used transitively as “to commence something” (as in “The project was commenced last year”) or intransitively with a following clause (as in “The ceremony will commence at noon”). The word tends to appear in formal or official writing; in everyday speech, begin or start is more common.

Etymology and sense: Commence derives from Old French comencer/comencier, itself from Latin incipere “to begin.” The noun form, commencement, denotes the act of beginning and, in the United States, also a graduation ceremony. In many contexts, commencement carries a formal tone and may be used in academic or legal writing.

Usage notes: In legal contexts, commence is common in phrases such as “to commence proceedings” or “to commence a lawsuit.” In general prose, it often signals a formal or ceremonial start. The word is widely understood but can sound pretentious outside of formal registers, so begin or start is often preferred in everyday language.

Examples: The conference will commence at 9 a.m. The company commenced operations after securing the necessary funding. The title of the graduation event is often referred to as the commencement ceremony.

See also: begin, start, initiate, commence proceedings, commencement.