initiation

Everyday

1. The act of starting something, such as a plan or a process. tree →
2. A ceremony or test that makes someone a new member of a group, club, team or religion. tree →
3. A first introduction to something new: your initiation into cooking. tree →
4. (church) In some faiths, the rites by which a person joins the community; Christians often speak of baptism as Christian initiation. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life and stories it often means the welcome or ritual for a newcomer: a secret club password, the first-day jokes on a team. In safety talk, «initiation» can mean hazing – cruel or dangerous tests forced on new members, which schools and clubs ban. In science, «initiation» is the start of a reaction or process. Phrases: «initiation ceremony», «initiation rite», «initiation into», «the initiation of talks».

Examples

• The Scouts held a little initiation ceremony for the new members. tree →
• Our secret club's initiation was learning the password and the handshake. tree →
• The coach banned any initiation pranks on the new players. tree →
• My first camping trip was my initiation into cooking over a fire. tree →
• The initiation of the project took a whole week of planning. tree →
• In the story, the boy had to cross the dark wood as part of his initiation. tree →
• Christians believe that baptism is the beginning of a person's life in the Church, and it is sometimes called Christian initiation. tree →
• If an initiation ever asks you to do something dangerous or humiliating, say no and tell an adult. tree →

Note

Countable in the ceremony sense (an initiation, two initiations); uncountable for the act of starting (the initiation of talks). Pronounced in-ish-ee-AY-shun. Not the same as «invitation» (being asked to come). Harmful initiation tests are called «hazing» in the USA; they are wrong and often against school rules.