rite
rite Lexical Profile
rite Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A religious or other solemn ceremony or act performed according to a prescribed, traditional order.
"The ancient temple was the site of an annual harvest rite attended by villagers from across the valley."
A social custom, practice, or conventional act habitually associated with a specific group, occasion, or stage of life.
"Graduating from high school is widely viewed as an important rite of passage into adulthood."
A specific body of liturgical traditions, ceremonies, and prayers belonging to a particular Christian church or ecclesiastical branch.
"The cathedral holds services according to the Byzantine rite on special feast days."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'rite' (a formal or religious ceremony) with its homophones 'right' (correct, a direction, or an entitlement), 'write' (to compose text), and 'wright' (a builder or maker, as in playwright).
• Rhymes for rite
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 14th century via Old French from Latin 'ritus' ('religious observance, ceremony, or custom'), which is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *re(i)- ('to count, arrange, or reason'), sharing an ancestry with 'ritual' and 'arithmetic'.