English word origin

Etymology of rite

Via Middle English and Old French, from Latin ritus.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A religious custom. · A prescribed behavior.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Via Middle English and Old French, from Latin ritus.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Root classification mention*h₂er-ine-pro
Derivation mentionritusla

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*h₂er-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "ritus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin ritus"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "ritus",
      "ritus#Latin"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A religious custom.",
        "A prescribed behavior."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly"
      ],
      "recordId": "444d6e49bb9f49d66ec789c0287b5fe352281c8abd4308a1829eec13956c3048",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c2f9445d67dd72d265c2828670571cf4a6da7c79f3c43d14d7f451a847c17cb1",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 18187
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

adv

Informal spelling of right.

intj

Informal spelling of right.

adj

Informal spelling of right.

noun

Informal spelling of right.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Variation of right.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "right",
      "right#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adv",
      "glosses": [
        "Informal spelling of right."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "informal",
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "1e880e9fe6fc8b79dc08eb2d52ecebd31e71209b6b0d0815564482418f5b24c7",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0dbec2717b4258426ea545118da107e2b49a61b431374318826f50bc41169c96",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 18189
    },
    {
      "pos": "intj",
      "glosses": [
        "Informal spelling of right."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "2bd7a28379867120dd375b036eb866c340affb83b3233d30adf6a76d3cf48437",
      "rawRecordSha256": "4c7d0dcba734f127f58995a0aa7bf54947356cef6a513b2a8485345c3cfb9f7e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 18190
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Informal spelling of right."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "informal",
        "not-comparable"
      ],
      "recordId": "5b6a3d1ca787c5e963306452926ea3b0516c48efbc7fdc8fd7cad6734e398b57",
      "rawRecordSha256": "929d23d10ee2da5697d62a46f29bc735a6a040af418132b7985cba9257e1e034",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 18188
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Informal spelling of right."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "alt-of",
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "b982a069d5a19c2adbc4d39d7bfd7fa45595147afd22cc58e3c815bcb6dc1240",
      "rawRecordSha256": "3c1533335b33b770db76624ed0c77c964d00e5d066eedc722b426e6542541c36",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 18191
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for rite →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-cml0ZQ