rite

Everyday

1. A rite is a religious or serious ceremony that is done in a fixed way, like baptism or a funeral. tree →
2. A rite of passage is a ceremony or event that marks a big change in someone's life, like becoming an adult, or a first experience that everyone goes through. tree →

In the lessons

In religious education, pupils learn about rites such as baptism, confirmation, bar and bat mitzvah, weddings and funerals; Catholics speak of "the last rites" for the dying. In everyday life, things like losing your first tooth or your first day at secondary school can be called rites of passage. Phrases: "rite of passage", "last rites", "funeral rites", "sacred rites".

Examples

• Baptism is a Christian rite of welcome into the church. tree →
• (church) The priest gave Grandad the last rites. tree →
• Starting secondary school is a rite of passage. tree →
• Every culture has its own funeral rites. tree →
• The bar mitzvah is a Jewish rite for a boy becoming an adult. tree →
• Learning to ride a bike is a childhood rite of passage. tree →
• Achilles now solemnized the funereal rites in honour of his friend Patroclus. tree →

Note

Countable: a rite, rites. Homophones: rite (ceremony), right (correct, or the opposite of left), write (put words on paper), wright (maker, as in "playwright"). Related: ritual. Do not write "right of passage" for "rite of passage".

In Jewish tradition

In the Torah a rite is a set way of doing a holy act, such as the offerings or the Passover service, done exactly as commanded.

Interpretation. Tradition holds that the rites were given by God and must be done as written, and that later teachers explained their details.

Note

Countable: a rite, rites. Homophones: rite (ceremony), right (correct, or the opposite of left), write (put words on paper), wright (maker, as in "playwright"). Related: ritual. Do not write "right of passage" for "rite of passage".