superstition

«superstition» in Mova's school dictionary: a belief that some action or object brings good or bad… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

noun (a superstition, superstitions; superstition — uncountable)

meaning for a pupil

1) A superstition is a belief that some action or object brings good or bad luck, even though there is no real reason or proof for it. tree →

2) Superstition is believing in such things. tree →

sense in the lessons

In lessons about truth, myths and critical thinking, pupils learn to tell superstition from science: there is no evidence that black cats, walking under ladders or the number 13 bring bad luck, or that crossing your fingers brings good luck. Many superstitions are old customs and can be fun, but they are not facts. Phrases: «an old superstition», «it's just a superstition». Related: Friday the 13th, «touch wood», «knock on wood».

examples

• It's a superstition that black cats bring bad luck. tree →
• Some people think breaking a mirror gives seven years of bad luck — that's a superstition. tree →
• My grandma has lots of old superstitions. tree →
• Footballers often have superstitions, like wearing lucky socks. tree →
• Science tests ideas; superstition doesn't. tree →
• Is it true or just a superstition? tree →
• Many hotels have no room 13 because of superstition. tree →
• Superstition made her alternately shudder with cold or burn with the heat of fever. tree →

note

Adjective: superstitious («a superstitious person»). Countable for each belief, uncountable for the habit of believing. A superstition is not a lie on purpose; it is a belief without evidence. Walking under ladders really can be unsafe — something could fall — but not because of luck.

In the corpora

• Breaking a mirror does not bring seven years of bad luck; that is a superstition, and the only danger is the glass.
• Superstitions feel true because we remember the times they seemed to work and forget the times they did not.
• Superstitions like these are beliefs, not proven facts, but a polite guest follows the house rules.
• The idea that Friday the 13th is unlucky is a superstition; nothing special really happens on those days.
• A superstition is a belief that an object, action or number brings good or bad luck, with nothing that really connects them.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «superstition» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.