Lewis & Short

caerĭmōnĭa (cērĭ-; scanned cĕrīmōnĭa, Prud. c. Symm. praef. 1, 5), ae, f. (collat. form caerĭmōnĭum, ii, n., Gloss. Lat. pp. 50, 69 Hild.; Inscr. Orell. 3188) [kindr. with Sanscr. root kri, = facere; cf. also creo. cerus, Ceres. strictly sacred work, divine rite; cf. Bopp, Gloss. p. 79, a; Pott, I. p. 219; Mommsen, Unterit. Dial.], the sacred. the divine, that which has reference to the Deity (in class. prose)

  1. I. Lit.
    1. A. Objectively, sacredness, sanctity (in this sense rare, and only in sing.): sanctitas regum, et caerimonia deorum. Caes. ap. Suet. Caes. 6: legationis. Cic. Rosc. Am. 39, 113; Tac. A. 4, 64 fin.: 3, 61: loci. id. ib. 14, 22 fin.
    2. B. Subjectively, a holy dread, awe, reverence, veneration of the Deity (external; while religio has regard both to internal and external reverence for God; rare except in sing.). Cic. Inv 2. 22, 66; id. Verr. 2, 5, 14. § 36; id. Leg. 2, 22. 55; 2, 53, 161: sacra summā religione caerimoniāque conficere. id. Balb. 24. 55: so id. Har Resp. 10, 21; 17, 37: Nep. Them. 8, 4; Liv. 29. 18, 2; 40, 4, 9; Gell. 4. 9. 9; Tac. A. 4, 55’ esse in magnā caerimoniā. to be held in great veneration, Plin. 6, 27, 31, § 135; also plur.: habere aliquid in caerimoniis. id. 37, 7, 28, § 100.
  2. II. Meton. (abstr. pro concr.), a religious usage, a sacred rite, religious ceremony (while ritus designates both religious and profane rites: so esp. freq. in the histt. and mostly in plur.): Ceres et Libera. quarum sacra … longe maximis atque occultissimis caerimoniis continentur. Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 72, § 187: religiones vero caerimoniaeque omnium sacrorum fanorumque violatae. id. ib. 2. 1. 3. § 7: in sacerdotio caerimoniisque diligentissimus. id. Rab. Perd. 10, 27: sepulcrorum, id. Tusc. 1, 12, 27: caelestes. Liv 1, 20, 4 and 7’ polluere. id. 6, 41, 9; Tac. H. 1, 2; Suet. Caes. 74: fetiales. Liv. 9, 11, 8: auspiciaque, id. 22, 9, 7; Flor. 1, 2, 2: novae, Tac. A. 1, 54: vetustissimae. id. ib. 1. 62: deorum, id. ib. 3, 60; 16, 28; publicae, id. H. 2, 91; Suet. Caes. 6: an tiquae. id. Aug. 31: peregrinae, veteres ac praeceptae, id. ib. 93: externae, id. Tib. 36.
    In sing.: collatis militaribus signis, quo more eorum gravissima caerimonia continetur, Caes. B. G. 7, 2; Suet. Aug. 94 med.