Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.
| archilowe | (Scots) a treat given in return. |
| avunculate | the custom in some societies of assigning rights and duties to a maternal uncle concerning his sister's son. |
| baisemain | (Fr.) a kiss on the hand. |
| barhop | to visit a number of bars during an evening. |
| candygram | a message accompanied by sweets. |
| ceremonial | of or like ceremony (noun) a ceremonial act, action, or system |
| ceremonially | (Adv.) CEREMONIAL, of or like ceremony. |
| ceremonious | devoted to forms and ceremony. |
| ceremoniously | (Adv.) CEREMONIOUS, devoted to forms and ceremony. |
| ceremoniousness | the state of being ceremonious. |
| ceremony | a formal observance. |
| chado | (Japanese) a tea ceremony. |
| chanoyo | (Japanese) a tea ceremony. |
| chanoyu | (Japanese) a tea ceremony. |
| clavie | a tar barrel burnt for luck at Hogmanay. |
| consuetudinary | customary. |
| coronation | the act or occasion of crowning. |
| cosplay | the practice of dressing up as a fictional character to attend social events. |
| couvade | (Fr.) a custom among some peoples, whereby the husband of a woman giving birth simulates pregnancy and labour. |
| crossbearer | a person who carries a cross in a procession. |
| etrenne | (Fr.) a New Year's gift. |
| flypast | a ceremonial flight analogous to a march past. |
| folklife | the traditions and activities of a certain population > FOLKLIVES or FOLKLIFES. |
| folkway | a traditional way of thinking, feeling or acting. |
| foreignism | anything peculiar to a foreign language or people; a foreign idiom or custom. |
| gipsyism | the arts and practices or habits of gypsies; deception. |
| guanxi | (Chinese) a Chinese social concept based on the exchange of favours. |
| janney | to act as a disguised merrymaker at Christmas. |
| kadaitcha | (Aborig.) in certain Central Australian aboriginal tribes, a man with the mission of avenging the death of a tribesman. |
| kapu | (Hawaiian) a Hawaiian set of rules for daily life. |
| karanga | (Maori) a call or chant of welcome sung by a female elder; (verb) to sing a karanga. |
| kawa | (Maori) protocol or etiquette (in a Maori tribal meeting place). |
| kotow | (Chinese) the prostration made by mandarins and others to their superiors, either as homage or worship, by knocking the forehead on the ground; (verb) to perform a kotow. |
| kowtow | (Chinese) the prostration made by mandarins and others to their superiors, either as homage or worship, by knocking the forehead on the ground; (verb) to perform a kowtow. |
| kula | (Melanesian) a form of ceremonial gift exchange practised among a group of islanders in the W. Pacific used to establish relations between islands. |
| laureation | the act of crowning with laurel; graduation. |
| libate | to make a libation to. |
| libation | an offering of drink. |
| libationary | of or like a libation. |
| libatory | pertaining to libation. |
| manilla | (Spanish) a horseshoe-shaped ring used esp for ceremonial exchanges in parts of W. Africa. |
| maypole | a decorated pole used in a spring celebration. |
| mecca | (Arabic) a place visited by many people. |
| mekka | (Arabic) a place visited by many people. |
| moko | (Maori) a system of tattooing practised by the Maoris. |
| montem | (Lat.) a custom, formerly practised by the scholars at Eton, of going every third year, on Whit Tuesday, to a hillock near the Bath road, and exacting money from passersby, to support at the university the senior scholar of the school. |
| mores | (Lat.) customs, manners. |
| mummering | a Christmas time house-visiting tradition still practiced in Newfoundland and Labrador. |
| mummery | performance by mummers; empty ceremonial. |
| namaskar | (Sanskrit) a traditional Indian salutation, a slight bow with the palms pressed together. |
| namaste | (Sanskrit) a traditional Indian salutation, a slight bow with the palms pressed together. |
| natalitial | of or pertaining to a birthday. |
| naumachy | a mock sea battle, performed as a spectacle among the ancient Romans. |
| obeisance | a bow or curtsey, a paying of homage. |
| olympiad | an international contest in bridge, chess, etc.. |
| pardah | (Urdu) seclusion of women from public observation among Muslims and some Hindus. |
| philippina | a present or gift which is made as a forfeit in a social game that is played in various ways; also, the game itself. |
| philippine | a present or gift which is made as a forfeit in a social game that is played in various ways; also, the game itself. |
| philopena | a present or gift which is made as a forfeit in a social game that is played in various ways; also, the game itself. |
| philopoena | a present or gift which is made as a forfeit in a social game that is played in various ways; also, the game itself. |
| pinata | (Spanish) a hollow pottery figure filled with sweets etc. and hung from the ceiling, at a Christmas or other party in Latin America. |
| pohiri | (Maori) a ceremony of welcome, esp to a marae. |
| powhiri | (Maori) a ceremony of welcome, esp to a marae. |
| puncto | (Obs.) a nice point of form or ceremony. |
| purda | (Urdu) seclusion of women from public observation among Muslims and some Hindus. |
| purdah | (Urdu) seclusion of women from public observation among Muslims and some Hindus. |
| purdahed | of a woman, secluded, in purdah. |
| rainmaking | a ceremony designed to bring rain. |
| rite | a ceremonial act or procedure. |
| riteless | without rites. |
| ritual | according to rite (noun) a system of rites |
| ritualise | to make into a ritual. |
| ritualism | regular observance or practice of ritual. |
| ritualist | a believer in ritual. |
| ritualistic | relating to ritualism. |
| ritualistically | (Adv.) RITUALISTIC, relating to ritualism. |
| ritualize | to make into a ritual. |
| ritually | (Adv.) RITUAL, according to rite. |
| sado | (Japanese) a tea ceremony. |
| salaam | (Arabic) a low bow with the palm of the hand on the forehead; (verb) to make a salaam. |
| skimmington | in rural Britain, the old custom of forming a burlesque procession to ridicule an unfaithful husband or nagging wife. |
| skoal | (ON) a drinking toast; good health; (verb) to down a drink in one go as a toast. |
| stripagram | a greetings message delivered by a stripper who does a striptease on delivery. |
| stripogram | a message deliver by a messenger who performs a striptease act for the recipient. |
| strippagram | a greetings message delivered by a stripper who does a striptease on delivery. |
| subincise | to perform subincision, the formation of an opening into the urethra by the incision of the underside of the penis, a puberty rite practised by some tribal people. |
| subincision | the formation of an opening into the urethra by the incision of the underside of the penis, a puberty rite practised by some tribal people. |
| syssitia | (Greek) the ancient Spartan custom of eating the main meal together in public. |
| talkathon | a long talking session. |
| talkfest | (US) an informal meeting for discussion. |
| tikanga | (Maori) usage or custom. |
| tsantsa | (Shuari) among the Jivaro, the shrunken head of an enemy kept as a trophy. |
| upsitting | a sitting up of a woman after her confinement, to receive and entertain her friends. |
| walkabout | (Aust.) a period of wandering in the bush by an Australian Aborigine. |
| wassail | (Hist.) a toast to someone's health; (verb) to go carolling or carousing. |
| wassailer | one who wassails. |
| wassailry | the act of wassailing. |
| wero | (Maori) a challenge made by an armed Maori warrior to a visitor to a marae. |