ceremony
[ ser-uh-moh-nee ]
/ ˈsɛr əˌmoʊ ni /
noun, plural cer·e·mo·nies.
the formal activities conducted on some solemn or important public or state occasion: the coronation ceremony.
a formal religious or sacred observance; a solemn rite: a marriage ceremony.
formal observances or gestures collectively; ceremonial observances: The breathless messenger had no time for ceremony.
any formal act or observance, especially a meaningless one: His low bow was mere ceremony.
a gesture or act of politeness or civility: the ceremony of a handshake.
strict adherence to conventional forms; formality: to leave a room without ceremony.
Idioms for ceremony
stand on ceremony,
to behave in a formal or ceremonious manner.
Origin of ceremony
1350–1400; Middle English
ceremonie < Medieval Latin
cēremōnia, Latin
caerimōnia sacred rite; replacing Middle English
cerymonye < Middle French
cerimonie < Latin, as above
synonym study for ceremony
1, 2.
Ceremony,
rite,
ritual refer to set observances and acts traditional in religious services or on public occasions.
Ceremony applies to more or less formal dignified acts on religious or public occasions:
a marriage ceremony; an inaugural ceremony. A
rite is an established, prescribed, or customary form of religious or other solemn practice:
the rite of baptism.
Ritual refers to the form of conducting worship or to a code of ceremonies in general:
Masonic rituals.
OTHER WORDS FROM ceremony
pre·cer·e·mo·ny, noun, plural pre·cer·e·mo·nies.Words nearby ceremony
ceredigion,
cerement,
ceremonial,
ceremonial tea,
ceremonious,
ceremony,
cerenkov,
cerenkov effect,
cerenkov radiation,
cereous,
ceres
Example sentences from the Web for ceremony
British Dictionary definitions for ceremony
ceremony
/ (ˈsɛrɪmənɪ) /
noun plural -nies
a formal act or ritual, often set by custom or tradition, performed in observation of an event or anniversary
a ceremony commemorating Shakespeare's birth
a religious rite or series of rites
a courteous gesture or act
the ceremony of toasting the Queen
ceremonial observances or gestures collectively
the ceremony of a monarchy
stand on ceremony
to insist on or act with excessive formality
without ceremony
in a casual or informal manner
Word Origin for ceremony
C14: from Medieval Latin
cēremōnia, from Latin
caerimōnia what is sacred, a religious rite
Idioms and Phrases with ceremony
ceremony
see stand on (ceremony).