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rite (n.)

early 14c., from Latin ritus "religious observance or ceremony, custom, usage," perhaps from PIE root *re- "to reason, count." Rite of passage (1909) is translated from French rite de passage, coined by French anthropologist Arnold van Gennep (1873-1957).

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Definitions of rite from WordNet

rite (n.)
an established ceremony prescribed by a religion;
the rite of baptism
Synonyms: religious rite
rite (n.)
any customary observance or practice;
Synonyms: ritual
From wordnet.princeton.edu