Dictionary
rit•u•al•i•za•tion
Pronunciation: (rich"OO-u-lu-zā'shun), [key]—
n.
1. the act of ritualizing.
2. Ethology.the alteration of a behavior pattern, as by a change in intensity, in a way that increases its effectiveness as a signal to other members of the species.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.