11 results for: ritual

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
rit·u·al    Audio Help   [rich-oo-uhl] Pronunciation Key
–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.

[Origin: 1560–70; < L rītuālis, equiv. to rītu-, s. of rītus rite + -ālis -al1]

rit·u·al·ly, adverb

1. See ceremony. 11. ceremonial, formal, sacramental.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
ritual

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© 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
rit·u·al    Audio Help   (rĭch'ōō-əl)  Pronunciation Key 
n.  
    1. The prescribed order of a religious ceremony.
    2. The body of ceremonies or rites used in a place of worship.
    3. The prescribed form of conducting a formal secular ceremony: the ritual of an inauguration.
    4. The body of ceremonies used by a fraternal organization.
    5. A ceremonial act or a series of such acts.
    6. The performance of such acts.
    7. A detailed method of procedure faithfully or regularly followed: My household chores have become a morning ritual.
    8. A state or condition characterized by the presence of established procedure or routine: "Prison was a ritual—reenacted daily, year in, year out. Prisoners came and went; generations came and went; and yet the ritual endured" (William H. Hallahan).
    1. The prescribed form of conducting a formal secular ceremony: the ritual of an inauguration.
    2. The body of ceremonies used by a fraternal organization.
    3. A ceremonial act or a series of such acts.
    4. The performance of such acts.
    5. A detailed method of procedure faithfully or regularly followed: My household chores have become a morning ritual.
    6. A state or condition characterized by the presence of established procedure or routine: "Prison was a ritual—reenacted daily, year in, year out. Prisoners came and went; generations came and went; and yet the ritual endured" (William H. Hallahan).
  1. A book of rites or ceremonial forms.
  2. rituals
    1. A ceremonial act or a series of such acts.
    2. The performance of such acts.
    3. A detailed method of procedure faithfully or regularly followed: My household chores have become a morning ritual.
    4. A state or condition characterized by the presence of established procedure or routine: "Prison was a ritual—reenacted daily, year in, year out. Prisoners came and went; generations came and went; and yet the ritual endured" (William H. Hallahan).
    1. A detailed method of procedure faithfully or regularly followed: My household chores have become a morning ritual.
    2. A state or condition characterized by the presence of established procedure or routine: "Prison was a ritual—reenacted daily, year in, year out. Prisoners came and went; generations came and went; and yet the ritual endured" (William H. Hallahan).

adj.  
  1. Associated with or performed according to a rite or ritual: a priest's ritual garments; a ritual sacrifice.
  2. Being part of an established routine: a ritual glass of milk before bed.


[From Latin rītuālis, of rites, from rītus, rite; see rite.]

rit'u·al·ly adv.
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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.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
ritual  (adj.)
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, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
ritual

adjective
1. of or relating to or characteristic of religious rituals; "ritual killing" 
2. of or relating to or employed in social rites or rituals; "a ritual dance of Haiti"; "sedate little colonial tribe with its ritual tea parties"- Nadine Gordimer 

noun
1. any customary observance or practice 
2. the prescribed procedure for conducting religious ceremonies 
3. stereotyped behavior 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary (Beta Version) - Cite This Source - Share This
ritual [ˈritʃuəl] noun
(a particular set of) traditional or fixed actions etc used in a religious etc ceremony
Example: Christian rituals; the ritual of the Roman Catholic church
Arabic: طَقْس كَنَسي
Chinese (Simplified): 礼仪式
Chinese (Traditional): 禮儀式
Czech: rituál
Danish: ritual
Dutch: ritueel
Estonian: rituaal
Finnish: jumalanpalvelusmenot
French: rite, rituel
German: das Ritual
Greek: ιεροτελεστία, τυπικό, τελετουργικό
Hungarian: szertartás(ok)
Icelandic: helgisiðir, ritúal
Indonesian: upacara
Italian: rituale
Japanese: 伝統
Korean: (종교적) 의식, 전례; 의식적인 행사
Latvian: rituāls
Lithuanian: ritualas, apeigos
Norwegian: ritual
Polish: rytuał
Portuguese (Brazil): ritual, rito
Portuguese (Portugal): ritual
Romanian: rit, ritual
Russian: ритуал
Slovak: rituál
Slovenian: obred
Spanish: ritual
Swedish: ritual
Turkish: tören
ritual [ˈritʃuəl] adjective
forming (part of) a ritual or ceremony
Example: a ritual dance/sacrifice
Arabic: طَقْسي
Chinese (Simplified): 礼仪的
Chinese (Traditional): 禮儀的
Czech: rituální
Danish: ceremoniel; rituel
Dutch: ritueel
Estonian: rituaalne
Finnish: rituaali-
French: rituel
German: rituell
Greek: τελετουργικός
Hungarian: rituális
Icelandic: helgisiða-
Indonesian: upacara
Italian: rituale
Japanese: 儀式の
Korean: 의식적인, 제사의
Latvian: rituāls-; ceremoniāls
Lithuanian: ritualinis, apeiginis
Norwegian: rituell
Polish: rytualny
Portuguese (Brazil): ritual
Portuguese (Portugal): ritual
Romanian: ritualic
Russian: ритуальный
Slovak: rituálny
Slovenian: obreden
Spanish: ritual
Swedish: rituell
Turkish: âyin, tören
See also: rite

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary (Beta Version), © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd.
American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

rit·u·al (rch-l)
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.
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Main Entry: rit·u·al
Pronunciation: 'rich-(&-)w&l
Function: noun
: any act or practice regularly repeated in a set precise manner for relief of anxiety <obsessive-compulsive rituals>

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Ritual

Rit"u*al\, a.[L. ritualis, fr. ritus a rite: cf. F. rituel.] Of or pertaining to rites or ritual; as, ritual service or sacrifices; the ritual law.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Ritual

Rit"u*al\, n. [Cf. F. rituel.]

1. A prescribed form of performing divine service in a particular church or communion; as, the Jewish ritual.

2. Hence, the code of ceremonies observed by an organization; as, the ritual of the freemasons.

3. A book containing the rites to be observed.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

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