What does tradition mean?
Definitions for tradition
trəˈdɪʃ əntra·di·tion
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word tradition.
Princeton's WordNet
traditionnoun
an inherited pattern of thought or action
custom, traditionnoun
a specific practice of long standing
Wiktionary
traditionnoun
A part of culture that is passed from person to person or generation to generation, possibly differing in detail from family to family, such as the way to celebrate holidays.
traditionnoun
A commonly held system.
Etymology: From traditio, from the verb tradere.
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
Traditionnoun
Etymology: tradition, Fr. traditio, Lat.
To learn it we have tradition; namely, that so we believe, because both we from our predecessors, and they from theirs, have so received. Richard Hooker, b. iii.
They the truth
With superstitions and traditions taint,
Left only in those written records pure. John Milton.Our old solemnities
From no blind zeal, or fond tradition rise;
But sav’d from death, our Argives yearly pay
These grateful honours to the God of day. Alexander Pope, Statius.
Wikipedia
Tradition
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes (like lawyers' wigs or military officers' spurs), but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings. Traditions can persist and evolve for thousands of years—the word tradition itself derives from the Latin tradere literally meaning to transmit, to hand over, to give for safekeeping. While it is commonly assumed that traditions have an ancient history, many traditions have been invented on purpose, whether that be political or cultural, over short periods of time. Various academic disciplines also use the word in a variety of ways. The phrase "according to tradition", or "by tradition", usually means that whatever information follows is known only by oral tradition, but is not supported (and perhaps may be refuted) by physical documentation, by a physical artifact, or other quality evidence. Tradition is used to indicate the quality of a piece of information being discussed. For example, "According to tradition, Homer was born on Chios, but many other locales have historically claimed him as theirs." This tradition may never be proven or disproven. In another example, "King Arthur, by tradition a true British king, has inspired many well loved stories." Whether they are documented fact or not does not decrease their value as cultural history and literature.Traditions are a subject of study in several academic fields, especially in social sciences such as folklore studies, anthropology, archaeology, and biology. The concept of tradition, as the notion of holding on to a previous time, is also found in political and philosophical discourse. For example, it is the basis of the political concept of traditionalism, and also strands of many world religions including traditional Catholicism. In artistic contexts, tradition is used to decide the correct display of an art form. For example, in the performance of traditional genres (such as traditional dance), adherence to guidelines dictating how an art form should be composed are given greater importance than the performer's own preferences. A number of factors can exacerbate the loss of tradition, including industrialization, globalization, and the assimilation or marginalization of specific cultural groups. In response to this, tradition-preservation attempts have now been started in many countries around the world, focusing on aspects such as traditional languages. Tradition is usually contrasted with the goal of modernity and should be differentiated from customs, conventions, laws, norms, routines, rules and similar concepts.
ChatGPT
tradition
Tradition refers to a set of customs, beliefs, practices, or values that are passed down from generation to generation within a particular group or society. It can include various aspects of cultural heritage, such as rituals, celebrations, folklore, art, music, cuisine, and social behaviors. Traditions often play a significant role in shaping and maintaining the identity, cohesion, and continuity of a community or society. They provide a sense of shared history and values, and are often upheld and respected through adherence and repetition.
Webster Dictionary
Traditionnoun
the act of delivering into the hands of another; delivery
Traditionnoun
the unwritten or oral delivery of information, opinions, doctrines, practices, rites, and customs, from father to son, or from ancestors to posterity; the transmission of any knowledge, opinions, or practice, from forefathers to descendants by oral communication, without written memorials
Traditionnoun
hence, that which is transmitted orally from father to son, or from ancestors to posterity; knowledge or belief transmitted without the aid of written memorials; custom or practice long observed
Traditionnoun
an unwritten code of law represented to have been given by God to Moses on Sinai
Traditionnoun
that body of doctrine and discipline, or any article thereof, supposed to have been put forth by Christ or his apostles, and not committed to writing
Traditionverb
to transmit by way of tradition; to hand down
Wikidata
Tradition
A tradition is a belief or behavior passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes, but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings. Traditions can persist and evolve for thousands of years—the word "tradition" itself derives from the Latin tradere or traderer literally meaning to transmit, to hand over, to give for safekeeping. While it is commonly assumed that traditions have ancient history, many traditions have been invented on purpose, whether that be political or cultural, over short periods of time. Certain scholarly fields, such as anthropology and biology, have adapted the term "tradition," defining it more precisely than its conventional use in order to facilitate scholarly discourse. The concept of tradition, as the notion of holding on to a previous time, is also found in political and philosophical discourse. For example, the political concept of traditionalism is based around it, as are strands of many world religions including traditional Catholicism. In artistic contexts, tradition is used to decide the correct display of an art form. For example, in the performance of traditional genres, adherence to guidelines dictating how an art form should be composed are given greater importance than the performer's own preferences. A number of factors can exacerbate the loss of tradition, including industrialization, globalization, and the assimilation or marginalization of specific cultural groups. In response to this, tradition-preservation attempts have now been started in many countries around the world, focusing on aspects such as traditional languages. Tradition is usually contrasted with the goal of modernity and should be differentiated from customs, conventions, laws, norms, routines, rules and similar concepts.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Tradition
tra-dish′un, n. the handing down of opinions or practices to posterity unwritten: a belief or practice thus handed down.—adjs. Tradi′tional, Tradi′tionary, delivered by tradition.—ns. Tradi′tionalism; Traditional′ity.—advs. Tradi′tionally, Tradi′tionarily.—n. Tradi′tionist, one who adheres to tradition.—adj. Trad′itive, traditional. [L.,—trans, over, dăre, to give.]
The Roycroft Dictionary
tradition
1. Salvation through ossification; redemption through folklore; a fetter for the foolish. 2. A clock that tells what time it was. 3. A method of holding the many back while some man does the thing which they declare is impossible.
Matched Categories
British National Corpus
Spoken Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'tradition' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1997
Written Corpus Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'tradition' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3913
Nouns Frequency
Rank popularity for the word 'tradition' in Nouns Frequency: #694
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
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Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of tradition in Chaldean Numerology is: 2
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of tradition in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2
Examples of tradition in a Sentence
Poetry is a weapon. It is an instrument of social change...and poetry is one of the most political arts out there because it demands that you rupture and destabilize the language in which you're working with. Inherently, you are pushing against the status quo. And so for me, it's always existed in that tradition of truth-telling.
The alternative ... is to just limit the supply of whale meat to some of the major places in Japan that have a good tradition of whale eating.
It’s a time-honored tradition, and a lot of candidates remember who was there early, who was willing to take the leap.
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu:
Any time he can call for a meeting, just to get a briefing, and for consultations. This is something that is normal according to the constitution and normal according to Turkish political tradition in the last 50 years, in the future, if there is any constitutional change, we will see. But at the moment this is the division of power which is clear from the perspective of legality and from the perspective of political responsibility.
To join that tradition felt like a rite of passage and something that I was genuinely curious about, being Greek, it's also one of those traditions that's deeply rooted in my background and I think everyone runs a marathon out of curiosity for what their mind or bodies might be able to do.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for tradition
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
- tradisieAfrikaans
- تقليد, التقليدArabic
- ənənəAzerbaijani
- традыцыяBelarusian
- традицияBulgarian
- ঐতিহ্য, রীতি, প্রথাBengali
- tradicióCatalan, Valencian
- tradiceCzech
- traddodiadWelsh
- tradition, overleveringDanish
- Tradition, Überlieferung, UrüberlieferungGerman
- παράδοσηGreek
- tradicioEsperanto
- tradiciónSpanish
- traditsioon, pärimus, tava, kommeEstonian
- tradizioBasque
- سنتPersian
- perimätieto, perinneFinnish
- traditionFrench
- traidisiúnIrish
- seachadas, dualchas, beul-oideas, beul-aithrisScottish Gaelic
- מסורתHebrew
- परंपराHindi
- tradíció, hagyományHungarian
- ավանդույթArmenian
- tradisi, adatIndonesian
- tradicionoIdo
- hefðIcelandic
- tradizioneItalian
- 伝統Japanese
- ტრადიციაGeorgian
- әдет-ғұрпы, салт, салт-дәстүр, дәстүрKazakh
- ប្រពៃណីKhmer
- 전통Korean
- традиция, адат, каада-салт, салтKyrgyz
- cōnsuētūdōLatin
- TraditiounLuxembourgish, Letzeburgesch
- ປະເພນີLao
- tradicijaLithuanian
- paražaLatvian
- традиција, преданиеMacedonian
- уламжлалMongolian
- tradisiMalay
- tradizzjoniMaltese
- ပဝေဏီBurmese
- tradisjonNorwegian
- traditieDutch
- tradisjonNorwegian
- tradycjaPolish
- tradiçãoPortuguese
- tradiție, datinăRomanian
- традиция, преданиеRussian
- predanje, традиција, tradicija, предањеSerbo-Croatian
- චාරිත්රයSinhala, Sinhalese
- tradíciaSlovak
- tradicijaSlovene
- traditëAlbanian
- traditionSwedish
- utamaduni, tabia, tamaduni, itikadi, desturiSwahili
- பாரம்பரியம்Tamil
- సంప్రదాయంTelugu
- анъана, суннатTajik
- ประเพณีThai
- däp, dessur, ýörelge, däp-dessurTurkmen
- kaugalian, tradisyonTagalog
- gelenek, töreTurkish
- رەسىمUyghur, Uighur
- традиціяUkrainian
- anʻanaUzbek
- truyền miệng, truyền thuyết, phong tụcVietnamese
- uzanceWalloon
- מסורהYiddish
- 传统Chinese
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