tradition

[truh-dish-uhn]

noun

1. the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice.

   a story that has come down to us by popular tradition.

2. something that is handed down.

   the traditions of the American South.

   Synonyms: usage, convention, habit, practice, custom

3. a long-established or inherited way of thinking or acting.

   The rebellious students wanted to break with tradition.

4. a continuing pattern of culture beliefs or practices.

5. a customary or characteristic method or manner.

   The winner took a victory lap in the usual track tradition.

6. Theology.

   1. (among Jews) body of laws and doctrines, or any one of them, held to have been received from Moses and originally handed down orally from generation to generation.

   2. (among Christians) a body of teachings, or any one of them, held to have been delivered by Christ and His apostles but not originally committed to writing.

   3. (among Muslims) a hadith.

7. Law.,  an act of handing over something to another, especially in a formal legal manner; delivery; transfer.

tradition

/ trəˈdɪʃən /

noun

1. the handing down from generation to generation of the same customs, beliefs, etc, esp by word of mouth

2. the body of customs, thought, practices, etc, belonging to a particular country, people, family, or institution over a relatively long period

3. a specific custom or practice of long standing

4. Christianity a doctrine or body of doctrines regarded as having been established by Christ or the apostles though not contained in Scripture

5. (often capital) Judaism a body of laws regarded as having been handed down from Moses orally and only committed to writing in the 2nd century _ad

6. the beliefs and customs of Islam supplementing the Koran, esp as embodied in the Sunna

7. law Roman law Scots law the act of formally transferring ownership of movable property; delivery

Other Word Forms

• traditionless adjective
• antitradition adjective
• countertradition noun
• nontradition noun
• protradition adjective
• traditionist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of tradition¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English tradicion, from Old French, from Latin trāditiōn- (stem of trāditiō ) “a handing over or down, transfer,” equivalent to trādit(us), past participle of trādere “to give over, impart, surrender, betray” ( trā-, variant of trāns- trans- + -ditus, combining form of datus “given”; date ¹ ) + -iōn- -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of tradition¹

C14: from Latin trāditiō a handing down, surrender, from trādere to give up, transmit, from _trans- + dāre to give

Example Sentences

Even when Sybil is gone, her memory remains ever-present, found in the family she created and the traditions they’ll practice and pass down in her honor.

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The media and the legal community deserves some blame: By disguising hardball politics as constitutional theory, Roberts capitalized on longstanding deferential traditions and incentives within media court-watchers and academics.

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"Representing our country and leading world-class athletes to marquee competitions is one of the greatest privileges in sport. I look forward to carrying on the tradition of excellence and teamwork that defines USA Basketball."

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Maybe this could be the start of something — a recurring salon, a tradition, a place where people could nibble pastries and say bright, approving things about me.

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"The presence of these objects in Ayvalık is particularly significant, as they provide direct evidence that the region was part of wider technological traditions shared across Africa, Asia, and Europe."

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

• belief 
• culture 
• custom 
• ethic 
• folklore 
• form 
• habit 
• heritage 
• idea 
• institution 
• law 
• legend 
• lore 
• myth 
• mythology 
• orthodoxy 
• practice 
• ritual 
• wisdom