Meaning

noun the study of religious or magical rites and ceremonies

noun exaggerated emphasis on the importance of rites or ritualistic forms in worship

originEtymology tree English ritual Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English ritualism From ritual + -ism.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0