Dictionary
Find
in
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translations

Click to move up the list of words
cerebrovascular accident
cerebrum
cerecloth
Ceredigion
ceremah
cerement
ceremonial
ceremonious
ceremony
Cerenkov effect
Cerenkov radiation
Ceres (1)
Ceres (2)
cereus
ceria
ceric
ceric oxide
Click to move down the list of words
Print Preview
See pronunciation key
Search for "ceremony" in all of MSN Encarta
E-mail this entry
Blog about this entry on MSN Spaces
Download the MSN Encarta Right-Click Dictionary

ceremony

cer·e·mo·ny [ sérrə mnee ] (plural cer·e·mo·nies)


noun 
Definition:
 
1. ritual for formal occasion: a formal event to celebrate or solemnize something, e.g. a wedding, an official opening, or an anniversary

2. formal etiquette: the forms of behavior that are expected or observed on a formal occasion

3. social gesture: a polite social gesture or ritual performed for the sake of convention

[14th century. < Latin caerimonia]

stand on ceremony to behave in a formal manner or insist on formality

Englishtown: Learn English online
Encarta Message Boards (© Rubberball/Jupiterimages)
Upgrade your Encarta experience
Encarta RSS Feeds
© 2008 Microsoft