Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Language: Old French
Origin: comencer, from Vulgar Latin cominitiare, from Latin com- ( COM-) + initiare 'to begin'

commence

 verb
     
com‧mence [intransitive and transitive] formal
to begin or to start something:
Work will commence on the new building immediately.
Your first evaluation will be six months after you commence employment.
commence with
The course commences with a one week introduction to Art Theory.
commence doing something
The planes commenced bombing at midnight.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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