initiation
n.-
1 starting a process (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatethe act of starting a new plan, process, or activity.
the act of beginning or originating a process, project, or sequence of events.
ExampleThe initiation of the new safety rules helped reduce accidents at the factory.
ExampleThe rapid initiation of emergency protocols prevented the minor technical glitch from escalating into a full-scale system failure.
UsageOften followed by the preposition 'of'.
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2 joining a group (n.) B2 Upper Intermediatea ceremony or set of actions that someone must complete to join a club or organization.
a formal ritual or set of requirements marking the admission of an individual into a specific group, society, or order.
ExampleThe club has a secret initiation for all new members.
ExampleThe university fraternity faced heavy criticism after reports surfaced regarding the dangerous nature of their annual initiation rites.
Teacher's tipIn modern contexts, this often refers to university clubs or professional organizations, but it can also describe traditional tribal or religious ceremonies.
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3 chemical/biological start (n.) C1 Advanced Technical Sciencethe very first step in a chemical reaction or a biological process.
the preliminary stage of a chemical reaction or a molecular process such as transcription or translation.
ExampleThe initiation of the reaction requires a small amount of heat.
ExampleThe research team focused on the initiation phase of protein synthesis to understand how certain genetic mutations occur.
UsageCommonly used in biochemistry and polymer chemistry to describe the start of a chain reaction.
Borrowed from Middle French initiation, from Latin initiātiō. Morphologically initiate + -ion.