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timeworn (adj.)

That has been practised or adhered to for a long time; old, ancient.

1840 It is not only a time-worn custom with the Spaniards and Portuguese, but is a frequent practice in parts of our own southern states.
Around World vol. I. v. 61

1954 The bearded Arabs in their traditional clothes, the more rustical among them as openly delighted as children with his time-worn tricks.
J. Huxley, From Antique Land viii. 135

2006 The more graceful and timeworn tradition of the Southern plantation house. E. Coffman, Alone in Dark v. 39
[OED]


Becoming a person of psychological and spiritual substance is a result of the committed pursuit of self-knowledge. This quest marks the timeworn path outlined by many of the great philosophers and religious figures of the past and present.
Bud Harris; Sacred Selfishness (2011)

He sniffs out something of a game trail, a timeworn Shoshone path, leading straight up from the springs. He and Boyer angle for the ridge, trotting like a pair of wild goats.
David Page; Explorer's Guide Yosemite & the Southern Sierra Nevada (2017)

The road leading to San Vicente appeared timeworn, with many dilapidated and abandoned houses
Bernadette Soto; My Journey Off the Beaten Path (2017)

This time, an alternate loop leads up a low hill on a timeworn farm road.
Johnny Molloy; Hiking through History—New England (2015)

Nánapwala led him along the sacred, timeworn path to the cornfields.
Nancy Woodbridge; Daniel's Return (2012)

Note, however, that any positive connotation is absent in those contexts where timeworn means hackneyed.

DjinTonic
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