Rite de passage

Rite de passage is a technical term in (mostly) Social Anthropology and Sociology. The word means any of the customs or ceremonials with which a given society marks important occasions in which a person moves from one status or condition to another, as in becoming adult, or married. There are common rites de passage to mark a mother's return to society after the birth, the naming of a child, puberty, initiation and so on.

As is a French term, it should properly be written in italics, rite de passage and pronounced with a long '-ee-' vowel for rite. The plural should be written in the French way, rites de passage - the '-s-' in rites is silent. Many modern writers prefer the direct English translation, rite[s] of passage.