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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

ordain en · VERB

Pronunciation

  • (Southern-England) audio
  • /ɔːˈdeɪn/ (Received-Pronunciation)
  • /ɔɹˈdeɪn/ (General-American)

Etymology

From Middle English ordeynen, from Old French ordiner, from Latin ordinare (“to order”), from ordo (“order”). Doublet of ordinate.

Meanings

  1. To prearrange unalterably.
    • What if the Foot, ordain'd the duſt to tread, / Or Hand, to toil, aſpir'd to be the Head? / What if the Head, the Eye, or Ear repin'd / To ſerve mere Engines to the ruling Mind? 1733, [Alexander Pope], An Essay on Man. […], epistle I, London: […] J[ohn] Wilford, […], →OCLC, page 15, lines 248–251:
  2. To decree.
    • On once more we swung, bumping uneasily along in the antique narrow-gauge coach, with gloomy woods and gathering night outside, shouts and songs (and quacks) inside—this was not at all the sort of train ordained by the logical strategists in Paris—then grinding to a stop at a mysterious halt which was no more than a nameboard in the pinewoods, without even a footpath leading to it, but nevertheless with a solitary passenger stolidly waiting. 1961 November, H. G. Ellison, P. G. Barlow, “Journey through France: Part One”, in Trains Illustrated, page 668:
  3. To admit into the ministry, for example as a priest, bishop, minister or Buddhist monk, or to authorize as a rabbi.
  4. To predestine.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
ordained Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
ordained Tense=Past lexicographic
ordaining Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
ordains Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic

Deriveds

ordainee · ordainable · reordain · coordain · ordainment · foreordain · ordainer · misordain · disordain · unordain · preordain

Relateds

ordination

Synonyms

foresay

Translations (30)

uk ви́святити (admit into the ministry of a religion) · ru рукоположить (admit into the ministry of a religion) · cy ordeinio (admit into the ministry of a religion) · uk висвя́чувати (admit into the ministry of a religion) · sv prästviga (admit into the ministry of a religion) · bg предписвам (to prearrange unalterably) · ga oirnigh (admit into the ministry of a religion) · mi whakapiriti (admit into the ministry of a religion) · de festlegen (to prearrange unalterably) · la scisco (to prearrange unalterably) · haw poni (admit into the ministry of a religion) · es ordinar (admit into the ministry of a religion) · bg ръкополагам (admit into the ministry of a religion) · sv ordinera (admit into the ministry of a religion) · sv viga (admit into the ministry of a religion) · mi whakawahi (admit into the ministry of a religion) · mi whakaminita (admit into the ministry of a religion) · id tahbis (admit into the ministry of a religion) · cmn 按立 (admit into the ministry of a religion) · ca ordenar (admit into the ministry of a religion) · es ordenar (admit into the ministry of a religion) · da ordinere (admit into the ministry of a religion) · he הִסְמִיךְ (admit into the ministry of a religion) · de weihen (admit into the ministry of a religion) · nn ordinere (admit into the ministry of a religion) · ang sċrīfan (to prearrange unalterably) · nb ordinere (admit into the ministry of a religion) · ru рукополагать (admit into the ministry of a religion) · ko 임명하다 (admit into the ministry of a religion) · nl vaststellen (to prearrange unalterably)