“仪式性地授予职务；庄重或正式地介绍或启动任何重要或尊贵的事物”，这个词最早出现在1560年代，源自法语 inauguration，意为“任职、奉献”，并直接借自晚期拉丁语 inaugurationem（主格 inauguratio），意为“奉献仪式”。这个词最初可能是指“在吉兆下的任命仪式”。它是从动词 inaugurare 演变而来的，意思是“通过观察鸟类的飞行来占卜吉凶；在吉兆出现时进行奉献或任命”。这个动词又由前缀 in-（意为“在……上，进入……”，源自原始印欧语词根 *en，意为“在……中”）和 augurare（意为“担任占卜师，预测”，参见 augur (n.)）组合而成。
INAUGURATIO was in general the ceremony by which the augurs obtained, or endeavoured to obtain, the sanction of the gods to something which had been decreed by man; in particular, however, it was the ceremony by which things or persons were consecrated to the gods .... If the signs observed by the inaugurating priest were thought favourable, the decree of men had the sanction of the gods, and the inauguratio was completed. [William Smith (ed.), "Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities," 1842]
INAUGURATIO 通常指的是祭司们通过某种仪式来获得或试图获得神灵对人类所下达命令的认可。具体来说，这是一种将物品或人奉献给神灵的仪式……如果主持仪式的祭司观察到的征兆被认为是吉利的，那么人类的命令就得到了神灵的认可，这个仪式也就完成了。[威廉·史密斯（编），《希腊罗马古代词典》，1842年]
