formalities

for-mal-i-ties · noun

imported

Definitions

1.
Official or conventional procedures and requirements, especially those that must be followed in legal or administrative contexts.
2.
Actions or behaviors required by social convention or etiquette, often perceived as ritualistic rather than meaningful.

•
dispense with formalities — to skip conventional procedures and proceed directly
•
observe the formalities — to follow required conventions or protocols

From Latin formalis ("formal"), from forma ("shape, form"). The English word entered via Old French in the 16th century.