Dictionary.com

rite

[ rahyt ]
/ raɪt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR rite ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a formal or ceremonial act or procedure prescribed or customary in religious or other solemn use: rites of baptism; sacrificial rites.
a particular form or system of religious or other ceremonial practice: the Roman rite.
(often initial capital letter) a liturgy or liturgical system, especially one of the historical versions of the Eucharistic service: the Anglican Rite.
(sometimes initial capital letter)Eastern Church, Western Church. a division or differentiation of churches based on liturgical practice.
any customary observance or practice: the rite of afternoon tea.

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Origin of rite

1275–1325; Middle English (<Old French rit(e)) <Latin rītus

synonym study for rite

1. See ceremony.

OTHER WORDS FROM rite

riteless, adjectiverite·less·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH rite

right, rite , wright, write

Words nearby rite

risus sardonicus, rit., rita, Ritalin, ritardando, rite, rite de passage, ritenuto, rite of intensification, rite of passage, rites of passage
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to rite

observance, formality, ritual, sacrament, custom, liturgy, occasion, procedure, celebration, form, service, solemnity, ordinance, practice, communion, act, ceremonial

Example sentences from the Web for rite

British Dictionary definitions for rite

rite
/ (raɪt) /

noun

a formal act or procedure prescribed or customary in religious ceremoniesfertility rites; the rite of baptism
a particular body of such acts or procedures, esp of a particular Christian Churchthe Latin rite
a Christian Churchthe Greek rite

Word Origin for rite

C14: from Latin rītus religious ceremony
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012