initiation

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. The act or an instance of initiating.
2. n. The process of being initiated.
3. n. The condition of being initiated.
4. n. A ceremony, ritual, test, or period of instruction with which a new member is admitted to an organization or office or to knowledge.
5. n. The condition of being knowledgeable.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The act of initiating or setting on foot; a beginning or starting: as, the initiation of a new enterprise.
2. n. Introduction by preliminary instruction or ceremony; initial guidance or admission, especially in some set or formal way, as into knowledge of or participation in anything, membership in an association, or the like.

Wiktionary

1. n. The act of initiating, or the process of being initiated or introduced; as, initiation into a society, into business, literature, etc.
2. n. The form or ceremony by which a person is introduced into any society; mode of entrance into an organized body; especially, the rite of admission into a secret society or order.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The act of initiating, or the process of being initiated or introduced
2. n. The form or ceremony by which a person is introduced into any society; mode of entrance into an organized body; especially, the rite of admission into a secret society or order.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. an act that sets in motion some course of events
2. n. wisdom as evidenced by the possession of knowledge
3. n. the act of starting something for the first time; introducing something new
4. n. a formal entry into an organization or position or office