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initiation

 - 4 dictionary results

in⋅i⋅ti⋅a⋅tion

  [i-nish-ee-ey-shuhn]
Use initiation in a Sentence
–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.
Origin:
1575–85; < L initiātiōn- (s. of initiātiō). See initiate, -ion
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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in·i·ti·a·tion   (ĭ-nĭsh'ē-ā'shən)   
n.  

    1. The act or an instance of initiating.

    2. The process of being initiated.

    3. The condition of being initiated.

  2. A ceremony, ritual, test, or period of instruction with which a new member is admitted to an organization or office or to knowledge.

  3. The condition of being knowledgeable.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

initiation 
1583, from L. initiationem (nom. initiatio) "participation in secret rites," from initiatus, pp. of initiare "originate, initiate," from initium (see initial). Initiate (v.) is 1603, from L. initiatus, pp. of initiare. The noun meaning "one who has been initiated" is first recorded 1811.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

initiation in·i·ti·a·tion (ĭ-nĭsh'ē-ā'shən)
n.

  1. The act or an instance of initiating.

  2. The condition of being initiated.

  3. The first stage of tumor induction by a carcinogen in which cells are altered so that they are likely to form a tumor upon subsequent exposure to a promoting agent.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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