Commenced

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /kəˈmɛnst/

Definitions

1. To have started or initiated a particular action, event, or process in a formal or significant manner
2. To have taken the first step in the execution of a task or activity, marking the beginning of an endeavor
3. To begin an action, event, or process officially or formally

Etymology: "Commenced" is the past tense of "commence", which entered Middle English as "commencen" or "comencen", borrowed from Anglo-Norman "comencer". That French-influenced form traces back to a Vulgar Latin verb, "cominitiāre", built from the Latin prefix "com-" and "initiō", meaning a beginning. The same Latin root gave English "initiate", so the two verbs are close cousins that took different routes into the language. The English form was once shortened in everyday speech. Middle English writers also wrote "comsen" and "cumsen", contracted spellings that show how quickly the word was worn down in pronunciation. Over the centuries the fuller form won out, and "commence" settled into the formal register it still holds today.

Synonyms: begun, started, initiated

Antonyms: ended, finished, concluded