superstition

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“
I am rather hazy on modern Egyptian architecture Cairn nodded his head absently You laugh," he said, "but the active force of a superstition--what we call a superstition--is sometimes a terrible thing Sime stared Eh!"

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Definitions (12)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (4)

  1. noun An irrational belief that an object, action, or circumstance not logically related to a course of events influences its outcome.
  2. noun A belief, practice, or rite irrationally maintained by ignorance of the laws of nature or by faith in magic or chance.
  3. noun A fearful or abject state of mind resulting from such ignorance or irrationality.
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Examples (50)

  • In addition to the natural tendency to superstition, which is usually found connected with the poetical temperament, Lord Byron had also the example and influence of his mother, acting upon him from infancy, to give his mind this tinge. —  Life of Lord Byron, Vol. I.
  • All superfluous ornament is rejected by the cold frugality of the protestants; but the catholic superstition, which is always the enemy of reason, is often the parent of the arts. —  Memoirs of My Life and Writings
  • Tetraides reeled--the populace shouted The people had been already rendered savage by the exhibition of blood; they thirsted for more; their superstition was aided by their ferocity. —  The Best of the World's Classics, Restricted to Prose, Vol. VI (of X)—Great Britain and Ireland IV
  • In one of his progresses James touched eight hundred persons in Chester Cathedral William III evidently thought of the matter as a superstition, and on one occasion he touched a patient, saying to him, "God give you better health and more sense"; notwithstanding the incredulity of the sovereign, Whiston assures us that the person was healed. —  Three Thousand Years of Mental Healing
  • The method of superstition is arbitrary, furthermore, in that it is defined only by the liking or aversion of an unprincipled agency Let us consider briefly the type of superstition which is associated with the most primitive stage in the development of society. —  The Moral Economy
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Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English supersticion, from Old French superstition, from Latin superstitiō, superstitiōn-, from superstes, superstit-, standing over; see stā- in Indo-European roots.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. Early modern English supersticion, supersticyon; from Old French (and F.) superstition = Spanish supersticion = Portuguese superstição = Italian superstizione, superstition, from Latin superstitio(n-), excessive fear of the gods, unreasonable religious belief, superstition; connected with superstes (superstit-), standing by, being present (as a noun, a bystander, a witness), also standing over, as in triumph, also, in another use, surviving, remaining, from superstare, stand upon or over, also survive, from super, over, above, + stare, stand: see state, stand. As in the case of religio(n-), relligio(n-), religion (see religion), the exact original sense of superstitio(n-) is uncertain; it is supposed to have been a ‘standing over something’ in amazement or awe. The explanation (reflected, e. g., in the quot. from Lowell, below) that it means literally ‘a survival’ (namely, of savage or barbarous beliefs generally outgrown) is modern, and is entirely foreign to Roman thought.
 

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/sjupərˈstɪʃən/
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