1 [mass noun] the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way:members of different castes have by tradition been associated with specific occupations
[count noun] a long-established custom or belief that has been passed on from one generation to another:Japan’s unique cultural traditions
[in singular] an artistic or literary method or style established by an artist, writer, or movement, and subsequently followed by others:visionary works in the tradition of William Blake
2 Theology a doctrine believed to have divine authority though not in the scriptures, in particular:
[mass noun] (in Christianity) doctrine not explicit in the Bible but held to derive from the oral teaching of Christ and the Apostles.
(in Judaism) an ordinance of the oral law not in the Torah but held to have been given by God to Moses.
(in Islam) a saying or act ascribed to the Prophet but not recorded in the Koran.See Hadith.
