inaugurate

What it means

1. transitiveTo induct (someone) into a dignity or office with a formal ceremony.

   More to theyr proper Elements inaugurated none, / Than ſhee to hers by-paſſed, he to his poſſeſſed Throne.

   1606, William Warner, “The Fourteenth Booke. Chapter LXXXII.”, in A Continuance of Albions England: […], London: […] Felix Kyngston [and Richard Bradock?] for George Potter, […], →OCLC, page 344

   3 more examples

   […] Cn[aeus] Cornelius Dolabella vvas inaugurat or inſtalled king of the ſacrifices, in ſteed of Marcus Martius, vvho died tvvo yeares before.

   1600, T[itus] Livius [i.e., Livy], “[Book XXVII]”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Romane Historie […], London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC, page 655

   Our Long-ſhanks [Edward I of England], Scotlands ſcourge: vvho to the Orcads raught / His Scepter, and vvith him from vvilde Albania brought / The reliques of her Crovvne (by him firſt placed here) / The ſeat on vvhich her Kings inaugurated vvere.

   1612, Michael Drayton, “The Seuenteenth Song”, in [John Selden], editor, Poly-Olbion. Or A Chorographicall Description of Tracts, Riuers, Mountaines, Forests, and Other Parts of this Renowned Isle of Great Britaine, […], London: […] [Humphrey Lownes] for M[athew] Lownes; I[ohn] Browne; I[ohn] Helme; I[ohn] Busbie, →OCLC, page 261

   England, at the time of which we are treating, abounded with fickle and selfish politicians, who transferred their support to every government as it rose, who kissed the hand of the King [Charles I of England] in 1640, and spat in his face in 1649, who shouted with equal glee when [Oliver] Cromwell was inaugurated in Westminster Hall, and when he was dug up to be hanged at Tyburn, […]

   1825 August, Thomas Babington Macaulay, “[John] Milton. […]”, in Critical and Historical Essays, Contributed to the Edinburgh Review. […], 2nd edition, volume I, London: […] Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, […], published 1843, →OCLC, pages 48–49

   Synonyms: inaugur

2. transitiveTo dedicate (a building, monument, etc.) for public use by a formal ceremony.

   On February 22nd, at an event […], Acciona, a Spanish conglomerate, is due to inaugurate a new power plant a few miles from Las Vegas.

   2008 February 21, “Solar energy: The power of concentration: A new type of power plant harnesses the sun—and taxpayers”, in The Economist, London: The Economist Group, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 03 May 2023

   1 more example

   The Holy Father presided over a ceremony to inaugurate the 100th fountain in the Vatican Gardens behind St. Peter's Basilica on Monday morning.

   2010 July 5, “Pope inaugurates St. Joseph fountain, 100th in Vatican Gardens”, in Catholic News Agency

3. transitiveTo initiate or usher in (something, as a (significant) course of action, development, organization, or period of time) with a formal ceremony or in a ceremonious manner; also (loosely), to begin or commence (something); to start.

   The sun!—he came up to be viewed; / And sky and sea made mighty room / To inaugurate the vision!

   1850, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, “A Sabbath Morning at Sea”, in Poems. […], new edition, volume II, London: Chapman & Hall, […], →OCLC, stanza V, page 326

   2 more examples

   Had Mr. Sunley performed the same experiment on the mainland, where people would have flocked to him for the wages he now gives, he would certainly have inaugurated a new era on the East Coast of Africa.

   1865, David Livingstone, Charles Livingstone, chapter XXI, in Narrative of an Expedition to the Zambesi and Its Tributaries; and of the Discovery of the Lakes Shirwa and Nyassa. 1858–1864, London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 428

   Since the perfect society is based on the dictates of natural law and all men are equally partakers in it, it would be a fatal mistake to inaugurate it with force, oppression, and hatred.

   1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume I: The Founders, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: powstanie (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 214

   Synonyms: handsel

In a sentence

[…] Cn[aeus] Cornelius Dolabella vvas inaugurat or inſtalled king of the ſacrifices, in ſteed of Marcus Martius, vvho died tvvo yeares before.

1600, T[itus] Livius [i.e., Livy], “[Book XXVII]”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Romane Historie […], London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC, page 655

Where it comes from

1. Latininaugurātus
2. Latininaugurō“to take omens from the flight of birds, to divine, practise augury; to approve, consecrate, or inaugurate on the basis of omens; to install”
3. Frenchinaugurer“to inaugurate”
4. Englishinaugurate

Either: * borrowed from French inaugurer (“to inaugurate”), from Latin inaugurō (“to take omens from the flight of birds, to divine, practise augury; to approve, consecrate, or inaugurate on the basis of omens; to install”) with common assimilation of French -er with English -ate (verb-forming suffix) * or a Learned borrowing from Latin inaugurātus, perfect passive participle of inaugurō, see etymology at -ate; Further from in- (“against; into; on, upon; to, towards”) + augurō (“to act as an augur, interpret omens, augur; to foretell, predict; to conjecture, guess”), from augur (“soothsayer, augur”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix) (further etymology uncertain; see the entry).