superstition

From Middle French superstition, from Latin superstitio (“superstition”), from superstāre (“to stand above, to stand upon, to survive”) +‎ -tiō (“-tion: forming nouns”), from super- (“above, over, upon”) + stāre (“to stand”).

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˌs(j)uː.pə(ɹ)ˈstɪ.ʃən/, /ˌs(j)u.pə(ɹ)ˈstɪ.ʃn̩/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˌs(j)u.pɚˈstɪ.ʃən/, /ˌs(j)u.pɚˈstɪ.ʃn̩/

• Audio (US):

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• Audio (UK):

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• Rhymes: -ɪʃən

superstition (countable and uncountable, plural superstitions)

1. (derogatory) A belief considered to be irrational, unfounded, or based solely on fear and ignorance, particularly credulous reverence towards and belief in supernatural forces.
   • 1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “Changes in London”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 229:

     What children we are in trifles! what slight things exercise an influence over us! to how much that our reason would be ashamed to acknowledge! nevertheless does it submit. Our whole nature must change; we must be less susceptible, less dependent on "blind accident," before we can shake off hopes and fears, which are almost superstitions.

   • 1893 January, Paul Carus, “Panpsychism and Panbiotism”, in Monist, volume 3, number 2, page 251:

     The world is not merely the sum of all its atoms... There are no atoms in themselves. Atoms regarded as things in themselves are a scientific superstition.

2. (archaic) Excessive nicety; overscrupulousness.

• “superstition, n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
• “superstition”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “superstition”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Borrowed from Latin superstitiōnem.

• IPA^(key): /sy.pɛʁ.sti.sjɔ̃/

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• Audio (France (Lyon)):

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superstition f (plural superstitions)

1. superstition

• superstitieux

• “superstition”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012