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an established or prescribed procedure for a religious or other .
a system or collection of religious or other .
observance of set forms in public worship.
a book of or ceremonies.
a book containing the offices to be used by priests in administering the sacraments and for visitation of the sick, burial of the dead, etc.
a prescribed or established , ceremony, proceeding, or service:
the ritual of the dead.
prescribed, established, or ceremonial acts or features collectively, as in religious services.
any practice or pattern of behavior regularly performed in a set manner.
a prescribed code of behavior regulating social conduct, as that exemplified by the raising of one’s hat or the shaking of hands in greeting.
Psychiatry. a specific act, as hand-washing, performed repetitively to a pathological degree, occurring as a common symptom of obsessive-compulsive neurosis.
of the nature of or practiced as a or ritual:
a ritual dance.
of or relating to or ritual:
ritual laws.
Contemporary Examples

Some men also considered the small steps women were forced to take after this ritual to be more feminine.
Corsets, Muslin Disease, and More of the Deadly Fashion Trends The Fashion Beast Team March 31, 2014

Scars marked his face from ritual cuttings done in his tribe.
The Refugee I Know Stephen Slater June 6, 2012

For men, masturbation is taken for granted as being routine as brushing their teeth (perhaps even more frequent a ritual).
C’mon, Ladies, Masturbation Isn’t Just for Bad Girls Emily Shire June 18, 2014

To those who circumcise for religious purposes, the criminalization of the ritual is nothing more than religious discrimination.
Europe Goes After Circumcision Barbie Latza Nadeau August 23, 2012

Engaging with these bodily and ritual practices serves to enrich the human spirit within.
The Meaning of Vaisakhi, the Biggest Sikh Celebration Simran Jeet Singh April 12, 2014

Historical Examples

Their dogs were feasted and crowned with flowers.836 Further details of this ritual are unfortunately lacking.
The Religion of the Ancient Celts J. A. MacCulloch

Throughout the ritual of the day he could not grow accustomed to saying good-bye.
The Education of Eric Lane Stephen McKenna

Whether on the side of dogma or ritual, it seemed to have lost for the moment its old impulse—to have lost heart and life.
Modern Women and What is Said of Them Anonymous

It is very remarkable, and although infallible, I never read it in any ritual.
The Phantom World Augustin Calmet

Is it not because their ecclesiastics have adopted symbolism into their churches and into their ritual?
Ancient Pagan and Modern Christian Symbolism Thomas Inman

noun
the prescribed or established form of a religious or other ceremony
such prescribed forms in general or collectively
stereotyped activity or behaviour
(psychol) any repetitive behaviour, such as hand-washing, performed by a person with a compulsive personality disorder
any formal act, institution, or procedure that is followed consistently: the ritual of the law
adjective
of, relating to, or characteristic of religious, social, or other rituals
adj.

1560s, from Middle French ritual or directly from Latin ritualis “relating to (religious) rites,” from ritus “rite” (see rite). Related: Ritually.
nj.

1640s, from ritual (adj.).

ritual rit·u·al (rĭch’ōō-əl)
n.
A detailed act or series of acts carried out by an individual to relieve anxiety or to forestall the development of anxiety.