- a ceremony performed in some cultures at times when an individual changes his or her status, as at puberty and marriage
- (as modifier): a rite-of-passage novel
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
rite de pas•sage
(rēt də pä sazh′),USA pronunciation pl., rites de pas•sage (rēt də pä sazh′).USA pronunciation [French.]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Foreign TermsSee rite of passage.
rite′ of pas′sage,
- Anthropologya ceremony performed to facilitate or mark a person's change of status upon any of several highly important occasions, as at the onset of puberty or upon entry into marriage or into a clan.
- any important act or event that serves to mark a passage from one stage of life to another.
- 1955–60
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
rite of passage, rite de passage /French: rit də pɑsaʒ/ n
'rite de passage' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):