Ceremony
5 dictionary results for: Ceremony
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
cer·e·mo·ny 
[ser-uh-moh-nee] Pronunciation Key
[ser-uh-moh-nee] Pronunciation Key –noun, plural -nies.
—Idiom
| 1. | the formal activities conducted on some solemn or important public or state occasion: the coronation ceremony. |
| 2. | a formal religious or sacred observance; a solemn rite: a marriage ceremony. |
| 3. | formal observances or gestures collectively; ceremonial observances: The breathless messenger had no time for ceremony. |
| 4. | any formal act or observance, esp. a meaningless one: His low bow was mere ceremony. |
| 5. | a gesture or act of politeness or civility: the ceremony of a handshake. |
| 6. | strict adherence to conventional forms; formality: to leave a room without ceremony. |
| 7. | stand on ceremony, to behave in a formal or ceremonious manner. |
[Origin: 1350–1400; ME ceremonie < ML céremōnia, L caerimōnia sacred rite; r. ME cerymonye < MF cerimonie < L, as above]
] —Synonyms 1, 2. 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.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| cer·e·mo·ny
(sěr'ə-mō'nē) Pronunciation Key
n. pl. cer·e·mo·nies
[Middle English ceremonie, from Latin caerimōnia, religious rite.] |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
ceremony
ceremony
c.1380, from M.L. ceremonia, from L. cærimonia "awe, reverent rite," an obscure word, possibly of Etruscan origin, or a reference to the ancient rites performed by the Etruscan pontiffs at Caere, near Rome. Introduced in Eng. by Wyclif.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| ceremony | |
noun | |
| 1. | a formal event performed on a special occasion; "a ceremony commemorating Pearl Harbor" |
| 2. | any activity that is performed in an especially solemn elaborate or formal way; "the ceremony of smelling the cork and tasting the wine"; "he makes a ceremony of addressing his golf ball"; "he disposed of it without ceremony" |
| 3. | the proper or conventional behavior on some solemn occasion; "an inaugural ceremony" |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Ceremony
Cer`e*mo"ni*al\, a. [L. caerimonialis: cf. F. c['e]rimonial. See Ceremony.]1. Relating to ceremony, or external rite; ritual; according to the forms of established rites. Ceremonial observances and outward show. --Hallam. 2. Observant of forms; ceremonious. Note: [In this sense ceremonious is now preferred.] --Donne. He moves in the dull ceremonial track. --Druden.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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