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encaenia

[en-seen-yuh, -see-nee-uh]
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noun
  1. (used with a plural verb) festive ceremonies commemorating the founding of a city or the consecration of a church.
  2. (often initial capital letter) (often used with a singular verb) ceremonies at Oxford University in honor of founders and benefactors.
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Origin of encaenia

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin < Greek enkaínia (neuter plural), equivalent to en- en-2 + -kainia, derivative of kainós new
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for encaenia

Historical Examples

  • Music was from the first a regular feature of the Encaenia, and compositions were written for it.

    The Oxford Degree Ceremony

    Joseph Wells

  • It is also the name for the annual act, or Encaenia, the ceremonial closing of the academic year at Oxford University.

British Dictionary definitions for encaenia

encaenia

noun
  1. rare a festival of dedication or commemoration
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Word Origin

C14: via Late Latin from Greek enkainia, from kainos new
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012