rit·u·al

[rich-oo-uhl]
noun
1.
an established or prescribed procedure for a religious or other rite.
2.
a system or collection of religious or other rites.
3.
observance of set forms in public worship.
4.
a book of rites or ceremonies.
5.
a book containing the offices to be used by priests in administering the sacraments and for visitation of the sick, burial of the dead, etc.
6.
a prescribed or established rite, ceremony, proceeding, or service: the ritual of the dead.
7.
prescribed, established, or ceremonial acts or features collectively, as in religious services.
8.
any practice or pattern of behavior regularly performed in a set manner.
9.
a prescribed code of behavior regulating social conduct, as that exemplified by the raising of one's hat or the shaking of hands in greeting.
10.
Psychiatry. a specific act, as hand-washing, performed repetitively to a pathological degree, occurring as a common symptom of obsessive-compulsive neurosis.
adjective
11.
of the nature of or practiced as a rite or ritual: a ritual dance.
12.
of or pertaining to rites or ritual: ritual laws.
00:10
Ritual is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.

Origin:
1560–70; < Latin rītuālis, equivalent to rītu-, stem of rītus rite + -ālis -al1

rit·u·al·ly, adverb
an·ti·rit·u·al, adjective
pro·rit·u·al, adjective
un·rit·u·al, adjective
un·rit·u·al·ly, adverb


1. See ceremony. 11. ceremonial, formal, sacramental.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
ritual (ˈrɪtjʊəl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n
1.  the prescribed or established form of a religious or other ceremony
2.  such prescribed forms in general or collectively
3.  stereotyped activity or behaviour
4.  psychol any repetitive behaviour, such as hand-washing, performed by a person with a compulsive personality disorder
5.  any formal act, institution, or procedure that is followed consistently: the ritual of the law
 
adj
6.  of, relating to, or characteristic of religious, social, or other rituals
 
[C16: from Latin rītuālis, from rītusrite]
 
'ritually
 
adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

ritual
1570, from L. ritualis "relating to (religious) rites," from ritus "rite" (see rite). The noun is first recorded 1649. Ritualistic first recorded 1850.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

ritual rit·u·al (rĭch'&oomacr;-əl)
n.
A detailed act or series of acts carried out by an individual to relieve anxiety or to forestall the development of anxiety.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

ritual

the performance of ceremonial acts prescribed by tradition or by sacerdotal decree. Ritual is a specific, observable mode of behaviour exhibited by all known societies. It is thus possible to view ritual as a way of defining or describing humans.

Learn more about ritual with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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Example sentences
Ritual purification at the command of a heroic leader is an ancient and
  powerful tradition in this part of the world.
The overly-stigmatized ritual is only problematic when junk food boxes and bags
  are emptied in a matter of hours, not days.
The author joins in this ancient ritual and finds the worlds within more
  terrifying-and enlightening-than ever imagined.
It became a ritual for those of us who got jobs to donate to the binder.
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