the act of starting a new operation or practice; "he opposed the inauguration of fluoridation"; "the startup of the new factory was delayed by strikes"
the ceremonial induction into a position; "the new president obviously enjoyed his inauguration"
the act of starting something for the first time; introducing something new; "she looked forward to her initiation as an adult"; "the foundation of a new scientific society"; "he regards the fork as a modern introduction"
a formal entry into an organization or position or office; "his initiation into the club"; "he was ordered to report for induction into the army"; "he gave a speech as part of his installation into the hall of fame"
any activity that is performed in an especially solemn elaborate or formal way; "the ceremony of smelling the cork and tasting the wine"; "he makes a ceremony of addressing his golf ball"; "he disposed of it without ceremony"
the proper or conventional behavior on some solemn occasion; "an inaugural ceremony"
a formal event performed on a special occasion; "a ceremony commemorating Pearl Harbor"
serving to set in motion; "the magazine's inaugural issue"; "the initiative phase in the negotiations"; "an initiatory step toward a treaty"; "his first (or maiden) speech in Congress"; "the liner's maiden voyage"
occurring at or characteristic of a formal investiture or induction; "the President's inaugural address"; "an inaugural ball"
the prescribed procedure for conducting religious ceremonies
of or relating to or employed in social rites or rituals; "a ritual dance of Haiti"; "sedate little colonial tribe with its ritual tea parties"- Nadine Gordimer
of or relating to or characteristic of religious rituals; "ritual killing"
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality; "a moderate grade of intelligence"; "a high level of care is required"; "it is all a matter of degree"
the seriousness of something (e.g., a burn or crime); "murder in the second degree"; "a second degree burn"
the highest power of a term or variable
a measure for arcs and angles; "there are 360 degrees in a circle"
a unit of temperature on a specified scale; "the game was played in spite of the 40-degree temperature"
a specific identifiable position in a continuum or series or especially in a process; "a remarkable degree of frankness"; "at what stage are the social sciences?"