Dictionary

ordinance en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈoɹdɪnəns/ (General-American)
• /ˈoɹdnəns/ (General-American)
• (US) audio
• /ˈɔːdnəns/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈɔːdɪnəns/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Middle English ordinaunce (ca. 1300), from Old French ordenance (“decree, command”) (modern French ordonnance), from Medieval Latin ordinantia, from ordinans, the present participle of ordino (“put in order”) (whence ordain). Doublet of ordonnance.

Meanings

1. (US, countable, uncountable) A local law, passed by e.g. a city.
   • Alderman Richard Mell then pushed through antipeddling ordinances in the 33rd and 47th wards. 1997 May 9, Neal Pollack, “The Pushcart War”, in Chicago Reader:
   • According to the weatherperson, spring arrived in Hartford, Conn., on Monday, March 20 at 6:34 p.m. But gay people here didn't need a weatherperson to feel the gust of fresh air at a hearing on the proposed gay rights ordinance before the City Council that night at 7:30. 1978 April 8, Eric Gordon, “Hartford Hears Testimony on Gay Rights Bill”, in Gay Community News, page 1:
   • Enactive. Expositive. / Art. 57. XIII 2. The Registrative, or say Recordative: exercised, by the arrangements and operations, by which, in conformity to corresponding ordinances and mandates, the accounts, given at different periods by the exercise of the statistic function, are kept in contiguity, and in a regular series, for the purpose of reference and comparison. 1830, Jeremy Bentham, Constitutional code: for the use all nations and all governments ..., volume 1, page 251:
2. (England, countable, uncountable) An edict or decree, authoritative order. ▸ Prior to the Third English Civil War, a decree of Parliament.
3. (Commonwealth, UK, countable, qualifier:pre-1992 universities, uncountable) An edict or decree, authoritative order. ▸ Detailed legislation that translates the broad principles of the university's charter and statutes into practical effect.
4. (Hong-Kong, countable, uncountable) An edict or decree, authoritative order. ▸ A law enacted by the Hong Kong Legislative Council.
5. (India, Pakistan, countable, uncountable) An edict or decree, authoritative order. ▸ A temporary legislation promulgated by the president on the recommendation of the cabinet.
6. (countable, uncountable) A religious practice or ritual prescribed by a church.
7. (alt-of, alternative, countable, proscribed, uncountable) Alternative form of ordnance (“military equipment, especially artillery”).
   alt of ordnance
   • [T]he ſayd gunnes beeing able to hurt but a ſmall diſtance off, and the Iaponians being furniſhed with bꝛazen oꝛdinance vnknowen vnto the Corayans, they pꝛeſently dꝛaue them from their walles, […] 1600, Richard Hakluyt, “The Second Testimonie Containing the Huge Leuies and Preparations of Quabacondono, […]”, in The Third and Last Volume of the Voyages, Nauigations, Traffiques, and Discoueries of the English Nation, […], 2nd edition, London: […] George Bishop, Ralfe Newberie, and Robert Barker, →OCLC, page 857:
   • The ordinance officer at Fort Ridgely had packed.62 caliber rather than .58 caliber ammunition. There was no point in any of the men remonstrating over the stupidity of the ordinance officer. 2012 03, John Christgau, Birch Coulie: The Epic Battle of the Dakota War, U of Nebraska Press, →ISBN, page 57:
   • Large caliber ordinance was already ripping into the floor just in front of them. She grabbed his arm and shouted the best she could, “Do you know how ... to fire a weapon, Skully?” 2012 July 13, Gerard de Marigny, Rise to the Call, JarRyJorNo Publishing, →ISBN:
   • The battered walls of Fort Sumter were reinforced, and heavier caliber ordinance was mounted in the embrasures, doubling the firepower, […] 2001 November 16, Andrew E. Mathis, The King Arthur Myth in Modern American Literature, McFarland, →ISBN, page 196:
   • Let all the Battlements their Ordinance fire, / The King shal drinke to Hamlets better breath, c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:

Forms

Coordinates

sacrament

Deriveds

coordinance · preordinance · antiordinance · incontinent ordinance · Green River Ordinance · ordnance

Synonyms

bylaw

Translations (90)

ka ბრძანებულება (a local law or regulation) · uk постано́ва (a local law or regulation) · mk у́редба (a local law or regulation) · de Edikt (edict, decree, order) · ko 법령 (edict, decree, order) · fi liturgia (a religious practice or ritual prescribed by the church) · gl ordenanza (a local law or regulation) · la ordinatio (edict, decree, order) · fi säännös (a local law or regulation) · mk декре́т (edict, decree, order) · hi शासनादेश (edict, decree, order) · de Dekret (edict, decree, order) · bg разпоредба (a local law or regulation) · pl rozporządzenie (a local law or regulation) · ja 条令 (edict, decree, order) · cmn 法令 (edict, decree, order) · cs ritus (a religious practice or ritual prescribed by the church) · hi अध्यादेश (edict, decree, order) · cs zákaz (a local law or regulation) · cs nařízení (a local law or regulation) · pl ordynacja (a religious practice or ritual prescribed by the church) · de Verordnung (a local law or regulation) · fi rituaali (a religious practice or ritual prescribed by the church) · fi määräys (edict, decree, order) · ru обря́д (a religious practice or ritual prescribed by the church) · ru распоряже́ние (a local law or regulation) · de Verordnung (edict, decree, order) · fr décret (edict, decree, order) · mt ordinanza (edict, decree, order) · mk о́бред (a religious practice or ritual prescribed by the church) · fi asetus (a local law or regulation) · ru постановле́ние (a local law or regulation) · cs liturgie (a religious practice or ritual prescribed by the church) · uk ука́з (a local law or regulation) · cmn 條例 /条例 (a local law or regulation) · pl ordynacja (edict, decree, order) · pt ordenança (a local law or regulation) · es ordenanza (edict, decree, order) · fi käsky (edict, decree, order) · tl kautusan (a local law or regulation) · id ordonansi (edict, decree, order) · fr ordonnance (a local law or regulation) · sk nariadenie (a local law or regulation) · es ordenanza (a local law or regulation) · pdt Aunordnunk (a local law or regulation) · bg обряд (a religious practice or ritual prescribed by the church) · de Verfügung (a local law or regulation) · hu rendelet (edict, decree, order) · ko 법령 (a local law or regulation) · ar أَمْر (a local law or regulation) · ru ордона́нс (edict, decree, order) · bg декрет (edict, decree, order) · ru ордона́нс (a local law or regulation) · uk розпоря́дження (a local law or regulation) · la ordinatio (a local law or regulation) · pl ordynacja (a local law or regulation) · cmn 條令 /条令 (edict, decree, order) · ms ordinan (edict, decree, order) · mk у́каз (edict, decree, order) · tl ordenansa (a local law or regulation) · ru ука́з (a local law or regulation) · cs příkaz (a local law or regulation) · vi điều lệ (edict, decree, order) · ko 조례 (a local law or regulation) · ru ордона́нс (a religious practice or ritual prescribed by the church) · ja 条令 (a local law or regulation) · hi अधिदेश (edict, decree, order) · kk жарлық (edict, decree, order) · mk на́редба (a local law or regulation) · ga reacht (edict, decree, order) · de Ritus (a religious practice or ritual prescribed by the church) · sv förordning (edict, decree, order) · cmn 法令 (a local law or regulation) · de Erlass (edict, decree, order) · cmn 條例 /条例 (edict, decree, order) · nn forordning (edict, decree, order) · pl zarządzenie (a local law or regulation) · ja 条例 (edict, decree, order) · hi अध्यादेश (a local law or regulation) · eo leĝeto (a local law or regulation) · de Anordnung (edict, decree, order) · kk жарлық (a local law or regulation) · bg постановление (a local law or regulation) · vi điều lệ (a local law or regulation) · nb forordning (edict, decree, order) · bg указ (edict, decree, order) · ro ordonanță (a local law or regulation) · cmn 條令 /条令 (a local law or regulation) · ko 조례 (edict, decree, order) · de Verfügung (edict, decree, order)