commencement

Definition

The graduation ceremony marking academic completion, ironically named because it supposedly represents a beginning rather than an ending. It's several hours of name-reading punctuated by inspirational speeches telling you the hard part is just starting.

Example Usage

Commencement featured a celebrity speaker who told graduates to 'follow their passion,' which was inspiring until student loan bills arrived and passion didn't pay.

Origin

From Latin 'com-initiare' meaning 'to begin,' reflecting the ceremony's view as starting adult life

Fun Fact

Commencement speeches follow such predictable formulas that there are drinking games based on how many times speakers say 'journey,' though playing them during the actual ceremony is frowned upon.

Source: University ceremonial traditions and academic protocols

Related Terms

Beginner

alumnus

A graduate or former student of a particular school or university, technically referring to males (with alumna for females and alumni for groups). Used by institutions to identify people they'll now persistently contact for donations. Your alma mater's favorite term for "person who might give us money."

🎓 Education / Academia

Intermediate

NTT

Non-Tenure-Track—faculty positions without the possibility of tenure, including lecturers, instructors, and long-term contracts. It's academic employment's consolation prize: you have a real job, just not job security.

🎓 Education / Academia

Advanced

institutional review board

The committee that reviews research proposals involving human subjects to ensure ethical compliance, standing between researchers and their data collection dreams. Ethics gatekeepers who make you explain why your survey about pizza preferences won't traumatize participants.

🎓 Education / Academia

Beginner

postgrad

Academic shorthand for someone who survived their bachelor's degree and inexplicably decided more school was a good idea. These gluttons for punishment pursue master's or doctoral studies, trading their twenties for expertise, debt, and the ability to correct people at parties. It's the educational equivalent of finishing a marathon and signing up for an ultramarathon.

🎓 Education / Academia

Intermediate

MOOC

Massive Open Online Course—free or low-cost online classes promising to democratize education by reaching thousands simultaneously. Initially hyped as higher education's disruptor, most have completion rates under 10%, proving that 'free' and 'massive' don't automatically equal 'effective.'

🎓 Education / Academia

Beginner

directed study

An independent course where a student works one-on-one with a faculty member on a specialized topic not covered in regular offerings, either because it's genuinely obscure or because someone needs to graduate this semester. Academic customization or schedule-fixing, you decide.

🎓 Education / Academia

Translate This Term

See “commencement” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on X Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Beginner

magick

Old spelling of the word magic. Now used by wanna-blessed-be's....