ceremony
Americannoun
plural
ceremonies-
the formal activities conducted on some solemn or important public or state occasion.
the coronation ceremony.
-
a formal religious or sacred observance; a solemn rite.
a marriage ceremony.
-
formal observances or gestures collectively; ceremonial observances.
The breathless messenger had no time for ceremony.
-
any formal act or observance, especially a meaningless one.
His low bow was mere ceremony.
-
a gesture or act of politeness or civility.
the ceremony of a handshake.
-
strict adherence to conventional forms; formality.
to leave a room without ceremony.
idioms
noun
-
a formal act or ritual, often set by custom or tradition, performed in observation of an event or anniversary
a ceremony commemorating Shakespeare's birth
-
a religious rite or series of rites
-
a courteous gesture or act
the ceremony of toasting the Queen
-
ceremonial observances or gestures collectively
the ceremony of a monarchy
-
to insist on or act with excessive formality
-
in a casual or informal manner
Related Words
Ceremony, rite, ritual refer to set observances and acts traditional in religious services or on public occasions. Ceremony applies to more or less formal dignified acts on religious or public occasions: a marriage ceremony; an inaugural ceremony. A rite is an established, prescribed, or customary form of religious or other solemn practice: the rite of baptism. Ritual refers to the form of conducting worship or to a code of ceremonies in general: Masonic rituals.
Other Word Forms
- preceremony noun
Etymology
Origin of ceremony
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English ceremonie, from Medieval Latin cēremōnia, from Latin caerimōnia “sacred rite”; replacing Middle English cerymonye, from Middle French cerimonie, from Latin, as above
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
