ritual meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

ritual

adj

CA, US, UK /ˈɹɪt͡ʃ.u.əl/

Etymology From Latin rītuālis (adjective), from rītus (“rite”) + -ālis. Displaced native Old English ġewuna and wuna.

Related to a rite or repeated set of actions.

They performed the ritual lighting of the candles.
These verses are the basis for the practice of wearing a prayer shawl (tallit) with a ritual fringe (tzitzit) on each of its four corners2001, David L. Lieber, Jules Harlow, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, page 855:

Derived terms: bi-ritual, ritual abuse, ritually, ritual magic, ritual servitude, ritual Ten Commandments

noun

Etymology From Latin rītuālis (adjective), from rītus (“rite”) + -ālis. Displaced native Old English ġewuna and wuna.

A rite; a repeated set of actions, especially in religious contexts.

The priests carried out the religious ritual carefully.
Despite their good intentions, family members who participate in OCD rituals help reinforce the problem.2017, Christine Honders, OCD: The Struggle with Obsessions and Compulsions, page 44:

Derived terms: antiritual, biritual, nonritual, postritual, ritualisation, ritualization, ritualise, ritualize, ritualist, ritualistic, rituality, ritualless, ritually, unritual

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.