initiation

[ ih-nish-ee-ey-shuhn ]

noun

1. formal admission or acceptance into an organization or club, adult status in one's community or society, etc.
2. the ceremonies or rites of admission. Compare rite of passage.
3. the act of initiating.
4. the fact of being initiated.

initiation

/ ɪˌnɪʃɪˈeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of initiating or the condition of being initiated
2. the often secret ceremony initiating new members into an organization

Other Words From

• prein·iti·ation noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of initiation¹

First recorded in 1575–85, initiation is from the Latin word initiātiōn- (stem of initiātiō ). See initiate, -ion

Example Sentences

Quayle, who was 41 at the time, had gone through a rough initiation after his surprise selection to serve as George H.W.

From Los Angeles Times

On Thursday, a public interest petition was filed in the Kerala High Court, seeking initiation of criminal proceedings against those accused in the report.

From BBC

The initiation is steeped in secrecy - it is a cultural taboo to talk about it and women are not allowed to go near a circumcision site.

From BBC

The initiation site, which was established a fortnight ago, has since been burnt down, the country’s national broadcaster says.

From BBC

Mr. Allman was assigned to a village in Nepal, which was his initiation into a world of “hardship and suffering” that he had known nothing about, having grown up as a “middle-class American,” Mr. Sui said.

From New York Times

Related Words

• baptism
• commencement
• inauguration
• inception
• induction