birth - the time when something begins (especially life); "they divorced after the birth of the child"; "his election signaled the birth of a new age"

incipience, incipiency - beginning to exist or to be apparent; "he placed the incipience of democratic faith at around 1850"; "it is designed to arrest monopolies in their incipiency"

point in time, point - an instant of time; "at that point I had to leave"

starting point, terminus a quo - earliest limiting point

threshold - the starting point for a new state or experience; "on the threshold of manhood"

baccalaureate - a farewell sermon to a graduating class at their commencement ceremonies

exercise - (usually plural) a ceremony that involves processions and speeches; "academic exercises"

change of state - the act of changing something into something different in essential characteristics

jumping-off point, point of departure, springboard - a beginning from which an enterprise is launched; "he uses other people's ideas as a springboard for his own"; "reality provides the jumping-off point for his illusions"; "the point of departure of international comparison cannot be an institution but must be the function it carries out"

activation - making active and effective (as a bomb)

tone-beginning, attack - a decisive manner of beginning a musical tone or phrase

establishment, constitution, organization, formation, organisation - the act of forming something; "the constitution of a PTA group last year"; "it was the establishment of his reputation"; "he still remembers the organization of the club"

Creation - (theology) God's act of bringing the universe into existence

first appearance, debut, entry, introduction, launching, unveiling - the act of beginning something new; "they looked forward to the debut of their new product line"

face-off - (ice hockey) the method of starting play; a referee drops the puck between two opposing players

first step, opening move, initiative, opening - the first of a series of actions; "he memorized all the important chess openings"

groundbreaking, groundbreaking ceremony - the ceremonial breaking of the ground to formally begin a construction project

housing start - the act of starting to construct a house

icebreaker - a beginning that relaxes a tense or formal atmosphere; "he told jokes as an icebreaker"

inauguration, startup - the act of starting a new operation or practice; "he opposed the inauguration of fluoridation"; "the startup of the new factory was delayed by strikes"

founding, instauration, origination, initiation, innovation, creation, institution, introduction, foundation - the act of starting something for the first time; introducing something new; "she looked forward to her initiation as an adult"; "the foundation of a new scientific society"; "he regards the fork as a modern introduction"

installation, installing, instalment, installment - the act of installing something (as equipment); "the telephone installation took only a few minutes"

jump ball - (basketball) the way play begins or resumes when possession is disputed; an official tosses the ball up between two players who jump in an effort to tap it to a teammate

kickoff - (football) a kick from the center of the field to start a football game or to resume it after a score

recommencement, resumption - beginning again

scrum, scrummage - (rugby) the method of beginning play in which the forwards of each team crouch side by side with locked arms; play starts when the ball thrown in between them and the two sides compete for possession

startup - the act of setting in operation; "repeated shutdowns and startups are expensive"