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superstition
superstition
The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English
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2009
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© The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English 2009, originally published by Oxford University Press 2009. (Hide copyright information)
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su·per·sti·tion
/ ˌsoōpərˈstishən/
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n.
excessively credulous belief in and reverence for supernatural beings:
he dismissed the ghost stories as mere superstition.
∎
a widely held but unjustified belief in supernatural causation leading to certain consequences of an action or event, or a practice based on such a belief:
she touched her locket for luck, a superstition she had had since childhood.
DERIVATIVES:
su·per·sti·tious
/ -ˈstishəs/ adj.
su·per·sti·tious·ly
/ -ˈstishəslē/ adv.
su·per·sti·tious·ness
/ -ˈstishəsnəs/ n.
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Shaping superstition in late medieval England.(Report)
Magazine article from: Magic, Ritual, and Witchcraft; 6/22/2008; ; 700+ words
; Superstition occupied an ambiguous...increasingly reviled superstitions in everyday practices...parishioners' superstitions contains echoes...failing to stop superstition, but for actively...Both judged as superstitions such common devotional...
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COMMENTARY: Superstition finds its way into popular music, film
News Wire article from: University Wire; 6/29/2006; ; 630 words
; ...Wonder warns of believing in superstitions when he sings, "When you believe...t understand, you suffer. Superstition ain't the way." Coldplay...another example of a song about superstitions that are open to interpretation...
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Where superstitions continue to thrive: The Lost Dutchman Mine has never been found, but Arizona's Superstition Wilderness yields other riches. (Travel.recreation).(Superstition Mountains)
Magazine article from: Sunset; 3/1/2002; ; 700+ words
; ...are great memories. Superstitions travel planner For...information about the Superstition Mountains and Wilderness...Arizona holds its Annual Superstition Mountain Trek...demonstrations delving into Superstitions legends and lore...Arizona Trail. The Superstition Mountains and Wilderness...
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The superstitions in public libraries: alive and well?
Magazine article from: The Australian Library Journal; 11/1/2001; ; 700+ words
; ...abandoning myths and superstitions accelerated. The...waged war against superstition, and the war was...pseudo-science or superstition, and `generally...people who take superstitions seriously are not...ignorant. The article on superstition describes the matter...
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Swing and myth: Baseball, superstitions mesh like hand and glove.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
Newspaper article from: Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service; 9/16/2003; ; 700+ words
; ...always have its special superstitions, predicts former...player believed in a superstition, it must be true...But his "real" superstition involves what he...Position: Relief pitcher Superstition: Unknown. "I...tell you about my superstitions," Mahay says...
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Taking superstitions seriously [1].(Research Article)
Magazine article from: Folklore; 12/1/2003; ; 700+ words
; ...which read: "Taking Superstitions Seriously'--which...conflict between "superstitions" and "seriously...communicated surprise that superstition could constitute the...the narrative about superstitions and folk belief...and the word "superstition" has a long history...
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 "Western Mail (Cardiff, Wales)")
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Superstition.(News)
Newspaper article from: Western Mail (Cardiff, Wales); 1/5/2005; 700+ words
; ...by applying the epithet 'superstition'. Clearly superstition is an irrational belief...Steve Roud, an expert on superstitions (how does one become one...beliefs are dismissed as superstition. 'One of the key characteristics...
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Flout superstition, tempt fate/ Knocking on wood is necessary only if you believe in it
Newspaper article from: The Gazette; 12/12/2002; ; 700+ words
; ...call beliefs superstitions, emphasizing...person's superstition is another...said. "Superstition is usually...Watts said superstitions, which may...about various superstitions around the...My day of superstition-breaking...
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Workshop on U. Minnesota campus explores Hmong superstitions, beliefs
News Wire article from: University Wire; 10/27/2006; ; 700+ words
; ...is hosting a "superstition workshop" educating...Moua said the superstitions help explain how...believe in the superstitions because they seem...She said one superstition she remembers...said the word superstition isn't a completely...He said Hmong "superstitions" are more of...
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Inventing Superstition from the Hippocratics to the Christians.(Book review)
Magazine article from: Church History; 6/1/2009; ; 700+ words
; ...S0009640709000547 Inventing Superstition from the Hippocratics...Roman accusations of superstition by countering that...worship is based on superstition and that all daimons...and the heightened superstitions of the late ancient...
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Superstition
Dictionary entry from: New Dictionary of the History of Ideas
SUPERSTITION. Superstition has had different meanings in different cultures and epochs...meanings together is that they are usually negative — superstition is a concept defined principally by its self-declared opponents...
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Superstitions
Encyclopedia entry from: Gale Encyclopedia of the Unusual and Unexplained
...evil. And many superstitions offer procedures...forms of magic and superstition grew many curious...believed the old superstition about horseshoes...the effect of superstitions on the lives of...reduce stress, superstitions that have become...inspired as much superstition as the cat. ...
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superstitions of sailors
Book article from: The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea
...approaching the vessel. A similar superstition was prevalent among fishermen...source of many sailors' superstitions, one of them being that...the source of a similar superstition: if the light of the fire...appeared. Possibly the two superstitions were connected in some way...
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superstition
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition
superstition an irrational belief or practice resulting...fear of the unknown. The validity of superstitions is based on belief in the power of...forces as spirits and demons. A common superstition in the Middle Ages was that the devil...
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Sea Phantoms and Superstitions
Encyclopedia entry from: Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology
Sea Phantoms and Superstitions Sailors in general are often superstitious, as are fishermen...inhabitants a group of skeptical fishermen who laughed at this superstition. Accordingly, when the warning band of vapor next made its...
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