rite

1 an established ceremony prescribed by a religion; "the rite of baptism" [syn: religious rite]

2 any customary observance or practice [syn: ritual]

English

Etymology

Via Middle English and Old French from Latin ritus

Pronunciation

• rīt
• /ɹaɪt/

• Rhymes: -aɪt
• Homophones: right, wright, write

Noun

1. religious custom

Related terms

• ritual

Translations

Irish

Pronunciation

• lang=ga|[ˈɾˠɪtʲɪ]

Verb

1. Form of past participle, rith

   run

A rite is an established, ceremonious, usually religious act or process art. Rites fall into three major categories:

• rites of passage, generally changing an individual's social status, such as marriage, baptism, or graduation.
• rites of worship, where a community comes together to worship, such as Jewish synagogue or Mass
• rites of personal devotion, where an individual worships, including prayer and pilgrimages such as the Muslim Hajj.

Christian

Within Christianity, "rite" often refers to what is also called a sacrament or to the ceremonies associated with the sacraments. In Roman Catholicism, for example, the sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick is one of the three that are administered to someone who is dying or is seriously ill. Because in the years before the Second Vatican Council the Anointing of the Sick was reserved for those in immediate danger of death, it was traditionally known as the last rites. Others sacraments that could be celebrated with the Anointing of the Sick included Penance and Eucharist (administered as Viaticum in the case of a dying person).

The term also refers to a body of liturgical tradition usually emanating from a specific center. Examples include the Roman Rite, the Byzantine Rite, and the Sarum Rite. Such rites may include various sub-rites. For example, the Byzantine Rite has Greek, Russian, and other ethnically-based variants. For a full list of Christian liturgical rites, see Christian liturgy.

Masonic

In North America, Freemasons have the option of joining the Scottish Rite and/or the York Rite, two appendant bodies that offer additional degrees to those who have taken the basic three.

See also

• Ceremony
• Rites: a Confucian philosophical concept
• Ritual
• Ambrosian Rite
• Chaldean rite
• Process Art

amenities, anniversaries, baccalaureate service, celebrating, celebration, ceremonial, ceremonies, ceremony, civilities, commemoration, commencement, convocation, custom, dignities, dressing ship, duty, elegancies, empty formality, exercise, exercises, fanfare, fanfaronade, festivity, flourish of trumpets, form, form of worship, formal, formalities, formality, formula, formulary, function, gentilities, graces, graduation, graduation exercises, holiday, holy rite, inaugural, inauguration, initiation, institution, jubilee, liturgy, marking the occasion, memorialization, memory, mode of worship, mummery, mystery, observance, occasion, office, order of worship, ordinance, ovation, performance, practice, prescribed form, procedure, rejoicing, religious ceremony, religious rites, remembrance, revel, rite de passage, rite of passage, rites, ritual, ritual observance, rituality, rituals, routine, sacrament, sacramental, salute, salvo, service, solemn observance, solemnity, solemnization, testimonial, testimonial banquet, testimonial dinner, toast, tribute, triumph