Something old, nothing new

October 20th, 2008 at 07:00am Barry Wood

Let’s talk tradition. Recently I’ve seen the phrases “an old Rockford tradition” and “starting a new tradition.”

By definition, a tradition has been around awhile, so “old tradition” is redundant. In a similar vein, a tradition really can’t be new. It’s kind of like “first annual”: Only time will tell.

You could say someone hopes something new will become a tradition, but it will take time. How much time? I don’t know, but certainly more than one year — just as it takes more than one year to be annual.

One more thing about tradition: The word comes from the same Latin root as “treason.” At one time, “tradition” meant “a surrender or betrayal.” Some things get better with age.

Entry Filed under: word choices, word origins