rito

rite, ritual

noun REE-toh Less Common

Origin: From Latin ritus.

Usage Note

Rito covers both religious rites (il rito cattolico) and habitual personal rituals (il rito del caffè mattutino = the morning coffee ritual). Di rito means customary or obligatory: la visita di rito (the obligatory visit). Plural is regular: i riti. Do not confuse with ritmo (rhythm) which sounds similar.

Examples

"Il rito del matrimonio è molto antico."

Natural Translation

The marriage rite is very ancient.

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