Added 9 October 2026
ceremonious
/sɛ.ɹɪˈməʊ.nɪ.əs/ adjective
Latin root: caerimōniōsus Wiktionary
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about ceremonious at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- According to the required or usual ceremonies, formalities, or rituals; specifically , to ceremonial laws in the Bible.
- Involving much ceremony; ostentatious, showy.
- Of a person: fond of ceremony or ritual, or of observing strict etiquette or formality; punctilious.
Origin
Learned borrowing from Middle French cérémonieux (modern French cérémonieux) or directly from its etymon Latin caerimōniōsus + English -ous (suffix forming adjectives from nouns, denoting the presence of a quality in any degree (typically an abundance)). Caerimōniōsus is derived from Latin caerimōnia (“awe, reverence, veneration; sacredness, sanctity; religious ceremony, ritual”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷer- (“to build, make; to do”)) + -ōsus (suffix meaning ‘full of, overly’ forming adjectives from nouns). By surface analysis, ceremony + -ous.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)