rite
n. countablen. a traditional ceremony or set of actions that people always do in the same way, often for a religious or special life event.
n. a formal or ceremonial act or procedure prescribed or customary in religious or other solemn use. Often refers to a specific social transition, such as a 'rite of passage'.
The wedding was a beautiful and ancient rite.
In many cultures, the first hunt is considered an essential rite of passage for young adults.
The anthropologist spent years documenting the complex burial rites of the indigenous tribes, noting how each gesture served to reinforce communal bonds and ancestral respect.
Via Middle English and Old French, from Latin ritus.
Variation of right.
Commonly appears in the fixed phrase 'rite of passage' to describe a significant life transition.
the last rightsthe last ritesLearners often confuse 'rite' (a ceremony) with 'right' (a legal entitlement), especially in the religious phrase 'last rites'.