superstition

[ soo-per-stish-uhn ]

noun

1. a belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge, in or of the ominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance, occurrence, proceeding, or the like.
2. a system or collection of such beliefs.
3. a custom or act based on such a belief.
4. irrational fear of what is unknown or mysterious, especially in connection with religion.
5. any blindly accepted belief or notion.

superstition

/ ˌsuːpəˈstɪʃən /

noun

1. irrational belief usually founded on ignorance or fear and characterized by obsessive reverence for omens, charms, etc
2. a notion, act or ritual that derives from such belief
3. any irrational belief, esp with regard to the unknown

Word History and Origins

Origin of superstition¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin superstitiōn-, stem of superstitiō, from superstit-, stem of superstes “standing beyond, outliving” (from super- super- + -stes, combining form of stāre “to stand”) + -iō -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of superstition¹

C15: from Latin superstitiō dread of the supernatural, from superstāre to stand still by something (as in amazement)

Example Sentences

Gonzales was one of several fans attending Friday’s victory parade who said they had patted shirts and jerseys, kissed rosaries and prayed during the postseason games, turning to faith, ritual, superstition and luck in the hope that it would push their beloved team over the top.

From Los Angeles Times

So Dr Igwe set up Advocacy For Alleged Witches, an organisation focussed on “using compassion, reason, and science to save lives of those affected by superstition”.

From BBC

“The superstition against a cat crossing your path is real here,” explained Mansi Tejpal, a social researcher with a focus on animal ethics.

From Salon

"There is a concept of purity for Hindus that relates to the consumption of meat, so some people are very uncomfortable feeding a cat. And there is a lot of superstition. Believe it or not, some people believe that if a cat cries, someone in the house will die. I have had to do emergency rescues of cats because of that."

From Salon

As I said at the beginning of the book, we can compare this to the 18th Century, which was called the "Age of Reason," in which people began to discover that you could learn about the world with science, reason, logic, thought and observation — as distinguished from blind belief, superstition, fantasy and supernatural things.

From Salon