rite
Americannoun
-
a formal or ceremonial act or procedure prescribed or customary in religious or other solemn use.
rites of baptism; sacrificial rites.
- Synonyms:
- usage, form, observance
-
a particular form or system of religious or other ceremonial practice.
the Roman rite.
-
(often initial capital letter) a liturgy or liturgical system, especially one of the historical versions of the Eucharistic service.
the Anglican Rite.
-
(sometimes initial capital letter) a division or differentiation of churches based on liturgical practice.
-
any customary observance or practice.
the rite of afternoon tea.
noun
-
a formal act or procedure prescribed or customary in religious ceremonies
fertility rites
the rite of baptism
-
a particular body of such acts or procedures, esp of a particular Christian Church
the Latin rite
-
a Christian Church
the Greek rite
Related Words
See ceremony.
Other Word Forms
- riteless adjective
- ritelessness noun
Etymology
Origin of rite
1275–1325; Middle English (< Old French rit ( e )) < Latin rītus
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Two scrolls from the Egyptian ‘Book of the Dead,’ one newly restored, form the breathtaking centerpiece of a show that reveals the considerable art involved in the ancient civilization’s burial rites.
It illuminates not just burial rites but artists’ ingenuity.
"Freedom to hold religious rites in Jerusalem must be ensured for all religions," he said in a statement on X.
From BBC
A humiliating incident in a pool surrounded by her repulsed classmates echoes an iconic scene from “Carrie,” with Ducournau crafting an analogy for traumatic adolescent rites of passage like menstruation.
From Los Angeles Times
Besides, being broke and having to pinch pennies in college is a rite of passage, right?
From MarketWatch
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.
