Superstition

How to spell superstition

12 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce superstition

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does superstition mean?

1. nounA widely held belief, not based on reason or evidence, that certain actions or objects bring good or bad luck.

Superstition in a sentence

• Avoiding ladders out of superstition is surprisingly common among adults.

• The old superstition that breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck still makes some people flinch.

Where does superstition come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin superstitio, a noun that joined super, meaning 'over' or 'above', with a form of stare, meaning 'to stand', so the literal idea was something like 'a standing over' or 'standing in awe before something'. In classical Latin it carried a faintly negative shade, suggesting excessive or irrational religious dread rather than proper devotion. English picked it up through Old French around the late 1300s and 1400s, keeping that sense of belief not grounded in reason or evidence. The same stare root that means 'to stand' sits inside many familiar English words, including 'stable', 'statue' and 'circumstance', which can help anchor the tricky 'stit' in the middle. Remembering that hidden 'stand' element is a useful guard against dropping a letter in that unstressed central syllable.

How the word is built

• super- (over, above)
• stit (from Latin stare: to stand)
• -ion (noun suffix)