Also 4–6 -icion. [a. OF. tradicion, -iccion (1292 in Godef.), in 15th c. tradition, = Pr. tradition, Sp. tradicion, It. tradizione, ad. L. trāditio, -ōnem ‘delivery, surrender, handing down, a saying handed down, instruction or doctrine delivered,’ as in traditio evangelica, catholica traditio (Tertullian).]
1. The action of handing over (something material) to another; delivery, transfer. (Chiefly in Law.)
1540. in R. G. Marsden, Sel. Pl. Crt. Adm. (1894), I. 99. The byer … may entre and take possession of the said shipe goods … withowte any further tradicion or delyvery.
1601. W. Watson, Sparing Discov., 13. In that a Priest is made by tradition of the Chalice, Patten, and Host into his hands.
1658. Bramhall, Consecr. Bps., xi. 225. Then followeth … lastly the tradition of the Bible into his hands.
1766. Blackstone, Comm., II. xx. 307. A deed takes effect only from this tradition or delivery.
1773. Erskine, Inst. Law Scotl., II. i. § 18. Tradition, which may be defined, the delivery of the possession of a subject by the proprietor, with an intention to transfer the property of it to the receiver.
1774. Bp. Hallifax, Anal. Rom. Law (1795), 25. Justinian abolished the distinction, and gave to Tradition, or simple delivery, all the effects of the ancient Mancipation.
1884. Cath. Dict. (ed. 2), 626. Handing to the new priest the paten and chalice—an act commonly called the ‘tradition of the instruments.’
† 2. A giving up, surrender; betrayal. Obs.
1482. Monk of Evesham (Arb.), 19. The office and seruice of owr lord ihesu cryste ys tradicion and passion was solenly songe.
1611. W. Sclater, Key (1629), 103. By tradition or deliuering them vp to the power of Sathan.
1653. Manton, Exp. James i. 13, Wks. 1871, IV. 92. A judicial tradition and delivering them up to the power of Satan and their own vile affections.
b. spec. in Ch. Hist. Surrender of sacred books in times of persecution: cf. TRADITOR 2.
1840. Milman, Hist. Chr., II. 369. The consecration of a bishop guilty of tradition, was the principal ground on which his election was annulled. Ibid., 371. Both denounced their adversaries as guilty of the crime of tradition.
1874. J. H. Blunt, Dict. Sects (1886), 128/2. The crime of Tradition was a new one [Diocletian era].
[1908. C. Bigg, Orig. Chr., xxxvi. (1909), 484. In Gaul the Donatists themselves allowed that the sin of traditio had not occurred.]
3. Delivery, esp. oral delivery, of information or instruction. Now rare.
a. 1500. Medwall, Nature, 60. Arystotell Whyche hath left in bokys of hys tradycyon How euery thyng by heuynly constellacyon Is brought to effecte.
1575. Gascoigne, Making of Verse, in Steele Gl., etc. (Arb.), 33. I couet rather to satisfie you particularly, than to vndertake a generall tradition.
1605. Bacon, Adv. Learn., II. xvi. § 1. The expressing or transferring our Knowledge to others … I will tearme by the general name of Tradition or Deliuerie.
1667. Jer. Taylor, Dissuas. Popery, II. I. iii. 102. Tradition is any way of delivering a thing, or word to another; and so every doctrine of Christianity is by Tradition. I have deliver’d unto you, saith S. Paul, that Christ died for our sins.
1868. M. Pattison, Academ. Org., vii. 327. A national institute for the preservation and tradition of useful knowledge.
† b. An ordinance or institution orally delivered.
1382. Wyclif, Col. ii. 8. Se ȝe that no man disseyue ȝou by philosofye and veyn fallace … vp the tradicioun of men, vp elementis of this world, and not vp Crist.
1563. Winȝet, Four Scoir Thre Quest., § 63, Wks. (S.T.S.), I. 115. The Apostill St. Paull commandit in sindry places his traditionis to be keipet.
1565. Stapleton, trans. Staphylus’ Apol., 153 b. They putt out of S. Paule the worde Traditions, and put in his place sometime Ordinaunces sometime Institutions.
c. Tradition of the Creed (Ch. Hist.): oral instruction upon the Creed given to catechumens.
1888. Cassell’s Encycl. Dict., s.v., Tradition of the Creed,… the instruction formerly given on certain days to the catechumens upon the Creed at mass. The time and place varied in different Churches. In the Mozarabic Missal it still retains its place before the Epistle on Palm Sunday. At Rome it took place on the Wednesday in Mid-Lent.
4. The action of transmitting or ‘handing down,’ or fact of being handed down, from one to another, or from generation to generation; transmission of statements, beliefs, rules, customs, or the like, esp. by word of mouth or by practice without writing. Chiefly in phrase by tradition.
1591. Savile, Tacitus’ Hist. (1604), 53. Old songs delivered to them, by tradition, from their fathers.
1625. N. Carpenter, Geog. Del., II. xviii. (1635), 282. Some few customes preserued by tradition, not writing.
1626. Ailesbury, Passion Serm., 3. Punishments which hung over their heads, and, by the tradition of just revenge, upon their children.
1658. Phillips, Tradition,… a bequeathing any Doctrine to posterity from age to age.
1725. De Foe, Voy. round World (1840), 191. Rivetted in their minds by tradition from father to son.
1818. Hallam, Mid. Ages, ix. I. (1819), III. 335. The memory of Greece and Rome would have been feebly preserved by tradition.
1854. Milman, Lat. Chr., IV. iv. (1864), II. 277. Fragments … tinged with Christian allusion in their later tradition from bard to bard.
b. quasi-personified, usually as a speaker. (Cf. FAME sb.1 1 b, RUMOR sb. 2 b.).
1658. Baxter, Saving Faith, 87. Tradition having published it, your labour is to be a great deal the more acceptable for the Authors sake.
1686. Aglionby, Painting Illustr., i. 37. Paintings … which Tradition affirm’d to be Antienter than the Foundation of Rome.
1797. Ht. Lee, Canterb. T., Old Woman’s T. (1799), I. 333. Tradition tells us of numberless miracles performed here!
1863. Mary Howitt, F. Bremer’s Greece, II. xvi. 153. Wolves, so says tradition, first took gold to Delphi.
5. a. That which is thus handed down; a statement, belief, or practice transmitted (esp. orally) from generation to generation.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Wks. (1880), 392. I-bounden oonly by a posityue lawe or a tradycion þat þai han hem sijlfe made.
1432–50. trans. Higden (Rolls), II. 225. Matussale … lyvenge … to the grete floode of Noe, and noo longer, after the trewe tradicion.
1599. Shaks., Hen. V., V. i. 76. Go, go,… will you mocke at an ancient Tradition began vppon an honourable respect?
1704. Nelson, Fest. & Fasts, xiii. (1739), 159. The … Traditions published under his Name are rejected … as spurious.
1851. D. Wilson, Preh. Ann. (1863), II. IV. ii. 234. The traditions associated with these … monuments.
1872. Morley, Voltaire, i. (1886), 4. A collective religious tradition that had lost its virtue.
1878. Simpson, Sch. Shaks., I. 4. Stucley’s life has been surrounded with a complete cloud of traditions.
b. More vaguely: A long established and generally accepted custom or method of procedure, having almost the force of a law; an immemorial usage; the body (or any one) of the experiences and usages of any branch or school of art or literature, handed down by predecessors and generally followed. In quot. 1818, an embodiment of an old established custom or institution, a ‘relic.’
1593. Shaks., Rich. II., III. ii. 173. Throw away Respect, Tradition, Forme, and Ceremonious dutie.
1818. Lady Morgan, Autobiog. (1859), 183. The duke is a tradition of the grands seigneurs of the courtly times of France, a tradition fast wearing out.
1865. R. W. Dale, Jew. Temp., ix. (1877), 89. The glorious traditions of their race seemed against them.
1882. Freeman, Amer. Lect., II. v. 381. The tradition is that a President [of U.S.] may be re-elected once and once only.
1891. Leeds Mercury, 2 May, 6/4. A scheme … which was contrary to Conservative traditions.
6. spec. (Theol. and Eccl.) a. Among the Jews, Any one, or the whole, of an unwritten code of regulations, etc., held to have been received from Moses, and handed down orally from generation to generation and embodied in the MISHNAH.
c. 1380. Wyclif, Sel. Wks., II. 78. But whi breken ȝe Goddis maundement, for ȝoure veyn tradicioun? Ibid. (1382), Matt. xv. 2. Whi thi disciplis ouerpassen, or breken, the tradiciouns [gloss or statutis] of elder men [1534 Tindale, the tradicions of the elders]?
1585. Abp. Sandys, Serm., i. 11. Vnder the name of doctrine receiued from Moses by word of mouth, without writing, that is to say tradition, the Scribes and Pharisees were able smoothlie to carie away any thing, til Christ recalled all things to the Lawe.
1613. Purchas, Pilgrimage (1614), 170. When two Rabbins (saith their Talmud) maintaine contrary opinions, yet must not men contradict them, because both of them hath his Kabala or Tradition for the same.
1877. C. Geikie, Christ, II. xliv. 205. The commands or ‘traditions’ of the Fathers, handed down from the days of the Great Synagogue, but ascribed with pious exaggeration to the Almighty.
b. In the Christian Church, Any one, or the whole, of a body of teachings transmitted orally from generation to generation since early times; held by Roman Catholics to comprise teaching derived from Christ and the apostles, together with that subsequently communicated to the church by the Holy Spirit, and to be of equal authority with Scripture. Also (as in 4) the transmission of such teaching.
1551. T. Wilson, Logike (1580), 36. The Churche maie make Lawe, and appointe Tradicions, whatsoeuer thei be.
1562. Articles of Religion, xxxiv. Whosoever doth openly break the traditions and ceremonies of the Church which be not repugnant to the word of God.
1667. Milton, P. L., XII. 512. The truth With superstitions and traditions taint.
1704. Nelson, Fest. & Fasts, v. II. (1739), 501. It being the Tradition of the Church.
1737. Challoner, Cath. Chr. Instr. (1753), 213. The Sunday, or the Lord’s-Day, which we observe by Apostolical Tradition instead of the Sabbath.
1867. Brande & Cox, Dict. Sc., etc., Tradition, in Theology … is commonly employed to denote any doctrine or alleged fact, delivered or handed down, and received on the faith that the first to whom it was delivered received it from an authentic source.
c. Among Mohammedans, An account of sayings and doings of Mohammed, not contained in the Koran, but transmitted at first orally, and afterwards recorded; esp. those accepted as authoritative by the Sunnites or orthodox Mohammedans, but rejected by the Shiites: = SUNNA.
1718. Ockley, Hist. Saracens, II. 87. The Muslemans (who intitle themselves Sonnites, that is Observers of the Tradition, and Orthodox).
1727–41. Chambers, Cycl., s.v. Sonna, There are also sectaries among the Mahometans, called Shiites, who reject the traditions of the Sonnites.
1860. Gardner, Faiths of World. Sonnah, the Tradition of the Mohammedans, being the authentic record of the sayings and doings of the Prophet…. There are six collections of the Sonnite traditions, and four of those of the Schiites.
7. attrib. and Comb., as tradition-bound, -following, -nourished, -ridden adjs.; tradition-monger; Tradition Sunday (Ch. Hist.), a name for Palm Sunday, as the day of ‘tradition of the creed’ (see 3 c) in some churches.
1719. J. T. Philipps, trans. Thirty-four Confer., 5. Believing … the Fables and Reveries of Tradition-mongers, your Poets and Doctors.
1873. Chicago Tribune, 7 Sept., 12/2. Let sensible people reflect, and then shake off this grinding yoke [of excluding music on Sundays] that tradition-bound men are trying to keep on our shoulders.
1883. Cassell’s Encycl. Dict., s.v., Tradition-Sunday.
1895. Westm. Gaz., 17 May, 7/2. To think that the tradition-bound Austria-Hungary, of all countries in Europe, should be the first to call a Pole to the post of Foreign Minister!
1901. Academy, 26 Jan., 81/1. The prosy formula-ridden, tradition-following, go-by-rule eighteenth century.
1901. Weekly Regr., 19 April, 485/2. The tradition-nourished intellectual life so distinctive of the Catholic Church.
1910. Westm. Gaz., 25 June, 2/3. Experiments … for the warning or encouragement of a more crowded and tradition-ridden island.
