ceremony
/ˈsɛɹ.əˌmoʊ.ni/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.42 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
4
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An official gathering to celebrate, commemorate, or otherwise mark some event.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
An official gathering to celebrate, commemorate, or otherwise mark some event.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A formal socially established behaviour, often in relation to people of different ranks; formality.
Uncountable
Example Sentences
- "To whom the Priest with naked armes full net Approching nigh, and murdrous knife well whet, Gan mutter close a certaine secret charme, With other diuelish ceremonies met:"
- "In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye shall keep [the passover] in his appointed season: according to all the rites of it, and according to all the ceremonies thereof, shall ye keep it."
- "Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea."
- "This year, due to the fact that the 24th of the Hebrew month of Tishrei falls on Shabbat, the ceremonies will be held on Sunday, the 25th of Tishrei, as they will be every year when the 24th of Tishrei falls on Shabbat."
- "a graduation ceremony, an opening ceremony"
- "Promontory's "last spike" ceremony was so significant to the USA's history that it is still regularly re-enacted today, using replica locomotives that nose up to each other just as the originals did."
Etymology
From Middle English cerymonye, from Latin caerimonia or caeremonia, later often cerimonia (“sacredness, reverence, a sacred rite”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: cerymonye, caerimonia
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈsɛɹ.əˌmoʊ.ni/
- British English: /ˈsɛɹ.ɪ.mə.ni/
Usage
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Religion.
Inflected Forms
ceremonies (plural)
ceremonys (Early, Modern)
caeremony (alternative, Early)
cæremony (alternative, Early)
caerimony (alternative, Early)
cærimony (alternative, Early)
ceremoney (alternative, Early)
cerimony (alternative, Early)
cerimoney (alternative, Early)
ceremoney (alternative, South Asia)