rhizoverbBeta
DictionarytraditionPassed-down custom or belief
noun

tradition

truh-DISH-un/trəˈdɪʃn/

A custom or belief passed down through generations.

The grandmother passes on a family tradition by teaching dumpling-making.

A Japanese grandmother teaches a grandchild a family dumpling-making practice.
Etymology
traLatinover
+ditLatinto give
+ionLatinaction

The pieces express 'giving over' or handing something on. Tradition applies that image to beliefs and practices handed down from ancestors to descendants, rather than to a physical object being delivered.

In context

The Irish Pagan School17:44
Irish cursing tradition wasn't opposed to the church. It ran through the church for over a millennium, over 1,000 years
Cursing in Irish Witchcraft: The Same Hands That Healed | Series Episode 1

More examples

  • Making these quilts is a tradition passed down from our great-grandmother.
  • Local tradition holds that the old oak brings good luck.
  • The festival celebrates the community’s oldest traditions.

Forms

tradition · traditions

traditional adjective — Following customs passed down through generations.

Similar words

custom
A usual practice, not necessarily inherited from earlier generations.
ritual
A set sequence of actions, often ceremonial or symbolic.