Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A ceremony in which the actions and wording follow a prescribed form and order.
  • noun The body of ceremonies or rites used in a place of worship or by an organization.
  • noun A book of rites or ceremonial forms.
  • noun A set of actions that are conducted routinely in the same manner.
  • noun Zoology A set of actions that an animal performs in a fixed sequence, often as a means of communication.
  • adjective Associated with or performed according to a rite or ritual.
  • adjective Being part of an established routine.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Pertaining to, consisting of, or prescribing a rite or rites.
  • noun A book containing the rites or ordinances of a church or of any special service.
  • noun A prescribed manner of performing religious worship or other devotional service in any given ecclesiastical or other organization.
  • noun The external form prescribed for religious or other devotional services.
  • noun Any ceremonial form or custom of procedure.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A prescribed form of performing divine service in a particular church or communion.
  • noun Hence, the code of ceremonies observed by an organization.
  • noun A book containing the rites to be observed.
  • adjective Of or pertaining to rites or ritual

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Related to a rite or repeated set of actions.
  • noun rite; a repeated set of actions

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun stereotyped behavior
  • adjective of or relating to or characteristic of religious rituals
  • adjective of or relating to or employed in social rites or rituals
  • noun any customary observance or practice
  • noun the prescribed procedure for conducting religious ceremonies

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

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

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin adjective ritualis, from noun rituum, rite, + adjective suffix -alis.

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