tradition Hear it!

tradition Definition

tra·di·tion (trə dis̸h′ən)

noun

  1. Obsolete a surrender or betrayal
    1. the handing down orally of stories, beliefs, customs, etc. from generation to generation
    2. a story, belief, custom, proverb, etc. handed down in this way
  3. a historical line of conventions, principles, or attitudes characteristic of a school, social group, movement, etc. the realist tradition in literature
  4. a long-established custom or practice having the effect of precedent or unwritten law
  5. Law delivery (sense )
  6. Theol.
    1. among Jews, the unwritten religious code and doctrine regarded as handed down from Moses
    2. among Christians, the unwritten teachings regarded as handed down from Jesus and the Apostles
    3. among Muslims, the sayings and acts attributed to Mohammed and transmitted orally

Etymology: ME tradycion < MFr tradicion < L traditio, a surrender, delivery, tradition < traditus, pp. of tradere, to deliver: see treason

Related Forms:

tradition Synonyms

tradition

n.

  1. The process of preserving orally

    folklore, legend, fable, popular knowledge, myth, lore, wisdom of the ages, oral history; see also story.

  2. Cultural heritage

    ritual, mores, law; see culture 2, custom 2.

  3. A belief

    attitude, conclusion, idea; see belief 1, opinion 1.

tradition Usage Examples

Preposition: of

  • excellence: Sheffield has a strong tradition of excellence in clinical orthopedics.
  • hospitality: To this day the tradition of hospitality and care continues.

Converse of object

  • continue: We are proud to have continued this local tradition on which Mallaig was originally founded in the late 1800's.
  • uphold: Despite the Empress' focus on upholding ancient traditions and manners, she was nonetheless a trailblazer in smaller, more innocuous ways.
  • revive: Muro, once a hive of artisans, now forms part of the regeneration program to revive the old traditions.
  • honor: Chocolate Wedding Favors Providing chocolate as a wedding favor has been a time honored tradition for many centuries.
  • preserve: However, there is the Aylesbury Club, a private society formed to preserve the local tradition of eating duck!
  • inherit: She has inherited the rich singing tradition of her native North East Scotland.

Adjective modifier

  • oral: Combe St Nicholas Palmer records an oral tradition of a well here revealed in a dream during a drought at Chard.
  • religious: None of them have any place in the religious traditions of this country.
  • ancient: Feng shui is an honorable calling with an ancient tradition.
  • Western: The Western philosophical tradition is always trying to simplify things by filtering out all the complexity, the crowds, the people.
  • cultural: The city is also renowned for its long cultural tradition.

Preposition: with

  • modernity: The design combines tradition with modernity allowing the units to integrate perfectly into a variety of contemporary surroundings.

Noun used with modifier

  • Buddhist: They are arranged following a Buddhist tradition, which is to display the flowers, as if they are in nature.
  • folk: Passionate words, lively tunes and complex rhythms reflect the richness of the Nicaraguan folk tradition.
  • vernacular: Finally, a section on music and vernacular traditions explores the influence of the south on American popular music.
  • Druid: The Inner Grove is for those who wish to be taught and initiated into Awen's own Druid tradition.
  • fiddle: Here I address the question: " What are the elements that contribute to the richness of the current fiddle tradition in North-East Scotland?
tradition Quotes

   Science is intimately integrated with the whole social structure and cultural tradition. They mutually support one anotheröonly in certain types of society can science flourish, and conversely without a continuous and healthy development and application of science such a society cannot function properly.

—Parry, Sir Charles Hubert Hastings

The safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato. 904

—Whitehead, Alfred North

   History is more or less bunk. It's tradition.

—Ford, Henry

It's all honourable enough in its way, but it creates societies which simply cannot sustain any kind of democratic structure. It always leads to totalitarian and corrupt tyrannies† There's no tradition of moral individual courage in Chinese culture.

—Mo,Timothy

Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a lost tradition.

—Barzun,Jacques

Comment respecter la tradition, et innover en me"  me temps? Quel pari difficile! How to respect tradition and to innovate at the same time? What a difficult challenge!

—Pei, I(eoh) M(ing)

Science†is so greatly opposed to history and tradition that it cannot be absorbed by our civilization.

—Born, Max

Theyare a great tradition†gliding in and out of the corridors of power with the opulent calm of angelfish swimming through an aquarian castle.

—Allen, Henry Southworth

Thou shalt not covet; but tradition Approves all forms of competition.

—Clough, Arthur Hugh

Tradition does not mean that the living are dead; it means that the dead are living.

—Stockton

   Tradition, if not constantly recreated, can be as much a millstone as a mill-wheel.

—MacInnes, Colin

Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead.

—Chesterton, G(ilbert) K(eith)