encaenia

[en-seen-yuh, -see-nee-uh]

noun

(used with a plural verb) festive ceremonies commemorating the founding of a city or the consecration of a church.

(often initial capital letter) (often used with a singular verb) ceremonies at Oxford University in honor of founders and benefactors.

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for encaenia

It is also the name for the annual act, or Encaenia, the ceremonial closing of the academic year at Oxford University.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 7|Various
Music was from the first a regular feature of the Encaenia, and compositions were written for it.
The Oxford Degree Ceremony|Joseph Wells

British Dictionary definitions for encaenia

encaenia

noun

rare a festival of dedication or commemoration

Word Origin for encaenia

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