the.com/convention
The agreement nobody signed but everybody enforces.
means A widely accepted practice, rule, or gathering that people follow because it's customary, not because it's law.
from From Latin 'conventio' (a coming together, an agreement), rooted in 'convenire' — 'con-' (together) plus 'venire' (to come). The word first meant literally an assembly or meeting, which is why it still does double duty for a trade convention and a social norm: both are things people silently agree to show up for.
- origin
- from Latin for coming together
- power source
- works only because everyone assumes everyone else obeys
- irony
- breaking one feels ruder than breaking an actual law
- lifespan
- survives until enough people stop pretending it matters