# inaugurate

> English word · Verb · IPA /ɪˈnɔːɡjʊ.ɹeɪt/ · frequency rank #48,815

## Definitions
1. To induct (someone) into a dignity or office with a formal ceremony.
2. To dedicate (a building, monument, etc.) for public use by a formal ceremony.
3. To 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.
4. To cause (something) to be auspicious or good-omened; also, to declare or make (something) holy; to consecrate, to sanctify.

## Etymology
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).

## Easily confused with
- **inaugural** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/inaugural-vs-inaugurate)
- **inaccurate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/inaccurate-vs-inaugurate)

## Common misspellings (13)
`ianugurate`, `inaguurate`, `inauggurate`, `inaugruate`, `inauguarte`, `inauguraet`, `inauguratte`, `inaugurrate`, `inaugurtae`, `inauugrate`, `innaugurate`, `inuagurate`, `niaugurate`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/inaugurate