# ceremony

Pronunciation: US say "SAIR-uh-moh-nee" /ˈsɛɹ.əˌmoʊ.ni/; UK say "SAIR-i-muh-nee" /ˈsɛɹ.ɪ.mə.ni/

## Noun

1. A formal gathering arranged to celebrate, commemorate, or otherwise mark an important event.
   - Simple: A formal event held to celebrate or remember something important.
   - _The graduation ceremony lasted nearly three hours in the summer heat._
   - _Veterans gathered for a ceremony marking the anniversary of the armistice._
2. A ritual performed for its religious or cultural significance.
   - Simple: A set of religious or cultural actions done in a special, fixed way.
   - _The tea ceremony in Japan unfolds through carefully choreographed gestures._
   - _Mourners took part in a ceremony to honor their ancestors._
3. Formal, socially established behavior, often observed between people of different ranks.
   - Simple: Polite, formal behavior, especially toward important people.
   - _The new manager disliked ceremony and asked everyone to use first names._
   - _Court life demanded a level of ceremony that exhausted the young prince._
4. A show of magnificence, display, or ostentation.
   - Simple: A grand show meant to impress people.
   - _The coronation was conducted with all the ceremony the empire could muster._
   - _He distrusted the ceremony of the court, preferring plain rooms and plain speech._

## Noun

5. An object or accessory associated with a ritual. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: An object or item used as part of a religious ritual.
6. A sign or omen taken to foretell future events. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A sign believed to warn that something is going to happen.

## Origin

It comes from Middle English cerymonye, which came from Latin caerimonia (also spelled caeremonia, and later often cerimonia), meaning "sacredness, reverence, or a sacred rite."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/ceremony (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).