Find word for a new beginning

Cheers to a fresh start

As the celebrations of a new year continue—with the Lunar New Year starting on Jan. 22, 2023—you may be thinking about the fresh start ushered in by this coming year. This is a season of joyous beginnings for many. And one of the words we can use to refer to it may surprise you: it’s commencement. How is that, you ask?

Commencement is both “the ceremony of conferring degrees or granting diplomas at the end of the academic year” and also “an act or instance of commencing; beginning,” reflecting an earlier use of the word. Not surprisingly then, it comes from the Latin cominitiāre (“to begin”).

Like graduates, we’re embarking on a new beginning—how meaningful it will be remains to be seen! But let’s take a look at the different and sometimes unusual words used to talk about beginnings and starting over.

From genesis to exordium, here are new ways to talk about your freshest endeavors.

Focusing on Difficult Letters

When you are playing Scrabble or Words with Friends, there are some letters that are more challenging than others. You might go running to the dictionary to find words starting with X or words starting with Z. When you have access to a helpful word list, you will make short work of these challenges.

Words Starting With X

When most people think about a word that begins with x, they consider the xylophone. The xylo— portion comes from the Greek word xylon which means wood. There are several wood-related words that will impress your friends. Xylophage, xylograph and xylophilous are a few of your choices.
Words with xeno— are another powerful X group. These come from the Greek word xenos which means a foreigner or stranger. People who study potential extraterrestrials are known as xenologists. Xenophobia is the fear of those who are foreign.

Words Starting With Z

There are some obvious short word that start with Z. Zero and zoo come to mind. However, zoo is short for a zoological park. Zoology is the study of animal life. It is a combination of the Greek words for an animal and study. Knowing zoo— is a common scientific prefix leads to some interesting words like zoogeography, zoopsychology and zootherapy. Of course, shorter words like zinc, zebra and zigzag are also helpful.