Definitions for tradition
trəˈdɪʃ əntra·di·tion

Princeton's WordNet(3.95 / 20 votes)Rate this definition:

1. traditionnoun

   an inherited pattern of thought or action

2. custom, traditionnoun

   a specific practice of long standing

Wiktionary(4.61 / 28 votes)Rate this definition:

1. 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.

   Etymology: From traditio, from the verb tradere.

2. traditionnoun

   A commonly held system.

   Etymology: From traditio, from the verb tradere.

Webster Dictionary(3.61 / 16 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Traditionnoun

   the act of delivering into the hands of another; delivery

2. 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

3. 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

4. Traditionnoun

   an unwritten code of law represented to have been given by God to Moses on Sinai

5. 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

6. Traditionverb

   to transmit by way of tradition; to hand down

Freebase(3.69 / 25 votes)Rate this definition:

1. 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(3.33 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. 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(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. 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

1. • Cognitive Content
   • Practice

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'tradition' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1997

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'tradition' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3913

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'tradition' in Nouns Frequency: #694

How to pronounce tradition?

1. Alex

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

How to say tradition in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of tradition in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of tradition in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of tradition in a Sentence

1. Zhao Chu:

   It's been a tradition to see the lights on the Bund on New Year's Eve. Shanghai people know it, and the whole country knows it, the government should have foreseen the crowds on that night. Such incidents could have been avoided.

2. Jenny Anzelmo-Sarles:

   The tickets at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts have been a long-standing tradition for The Interior Department, and after an ethics and legal review, it was confirmed that the tickets are government property and may be used by The Interior Department for authorized purposes.

3. Sheldon Whitehouse:

   It's a long tradition in Rhode Island and there are many of them and we just need to work our way through the issues.

4. Beth Chapman:

   Beth was old style, old-fashioned. So, you know, that means the tree and the presents. All the stockings hung up... SoIm trying to keep that exact tradition.

5. Marty Northern:

   He wanted to follow into that tradition.

Images & Illustrations of tradition

Popularity rank by frequency of use