rite

B2 Topic:Register & Style

US /ˈraɪt/ UK /ɹaɪt/ See IPA manual

Homophones

right /ɹaɪt/ wright /ɹaɪt/ write /ɹaɪt/

Minimal pairs

Sounds like light /l/ vs /r/

Freq #13110

Meanings

1

noun
A formal ceremony, especially a religious one, done in a set way.

The rite of baptism is important in many Christian churches.
2

noun
A traditional act or custom that is always done in the same way.

Leaving home for university felt like a rite of passage into adulthood.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a formal ceremony,... religious riteritual

2 noun · a traditional act or custom... ritual

Word family

Forms rites

Derived forms bedriteritelessritely

Related forms ritual

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

religious rite
a formal ceremony carried out according to a religion's traditions

Adjective + noun

Etymology

Via Middle English and Old French, from Latin ritus.

*h₂er- Proto-Indo-European ritus Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

External links

# rite

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈraɪt/
**IPA (UK):** /ɹaɪt/
**Frequency rank:** 13110

## Meanings
1. A formal ceremony, especially a religious one, done in a set way.
2. A traditional act or custom that is always done in the same way.

## Examples
- The rite of baptism is important in many Christian churches.
- Leaving home for university felt like a rite of passage into adulthood.

## Derived Forms
- bedrite
- riteless
- ritely

## Related Forms
- ritual

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *h₂er-
- Root: ritus

## Etymology
Via Middle English and Old French, from Latin ritus.

## AI Etymology
Rite via Middle English and Old French, from Latin ritus. Modern senses include a formal ceremony, especially a religious one, done in a set way. and a traditional act or custom that is always done in the same way.. The wider word family includes derivatives such as bedrite, riteless, and ritely and related forms such as ritual.

## Topics
- Register & Style
- General Vocabulary

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