inaugural

adj

1. (not-comparable)Of inauguration; as in a speech or lecture by the person being inaugurated.

   “The University of Cape Town hosts an inaugural lecture by Professor Ian Scott […] on Wednesday at 8pm.”

   “In 1928 [Martin] Heidegger succeeded [Edmund] Husserl to take a chair at Freiburg and in his inaugural lecture made a pronouncement that earned him a reputation as an archetypal metaphysician with his claim that our awareness of people as a whole depends on our experience of dread in the face of nothingness.”

2. (not-comparable)Marking the beginning of an operation, venture, etc.

   “2009 was the inaugural season for New York Yankees' new stadium.”

   “Canada’s men’s hockey team defeated the USA 3-2 in overtime Thursday to capture the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off Championship as the NHL put on a show in the first edition of this midseason international tournament.”

noun

1. An inauguration; a formal beginning.

   “The inaugural of the President will take place in March.”

2. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis)Ellipsis of inaugural address

   “In his inaugural, President Obama proclaimed 'an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics'.”