rite of passage

See synonyms for rite of passage on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Anthropology. a ceremony performed to facilitate or mark a person's change of status upon any of several highly important occasions, as at the onset of puberty or upon entry into marriage or into a clan.

  2. any important act or event that serves to mark a passage from one stage of life to another.

Origin of rite of passage

1
First recorded in 1955–60

Words Nearby rite of passage

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British Dictionary definitions for rite of passage

rite of passage

rite de passage

/ (French rit də pɑsaʒ) /


noun
  1. a ceremony performed in some cultures at times when an individual changes his status, as at puberty and marriage

  2. a significant event in a transitional period of someone's life

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