tradition: Meaning and Definition of

tra•di•tion

Pronunciation: (tru-dish'un), [key]
— n.
  1. the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, esp. by word of mouth or by practice: a story that has come down to us by popular tradition.
  2. something that is handed down: the traditions of the Eskimos.
  3. a long-established or inherited way of thinking or acting: The rebellious students wanted to break with tradition.
  4. a continuing pattern of culture beliefs or practices.
  5. a customary or characteristic method or manner: The winner took a victory lap in the usual track tradition.
    1. (among Jews) body of laws and doctrines, or any one of them, held to have been received from Moses and originally handed down orally from generation to generation.
    2. (among Christians) a body of teachings, or any one of them, held to have been delivered by Christ and His apostles but not originally committed to writing.
    3. (among Muslims) a hadith.
  6. an act of handing over something to another, esp. in a formal legal manner; delivery; transfer.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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