Adjacent Words

Ordain definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

ORDA'IN, v.t. [L. ordino, from ordo, order.]
1. Properly, to set; to establish in a particular office or order; hence, to invest with a ministerial function or sacerdotal power; to introduce and establish or settle in the pastoral office with the customary forms and solemnities; as, to ordain a minister of the gospel. In America, men are ordained over a particular church and congregation, or as evangelists without the charge of a particular church, or as deacons in the episcopal church.
2. To appoint; to decree.
Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month. 1 Kings 12.
As many as were ordained to eternal life, believed.
Acts 13.
3. To set; to establish; to institute; to constitute.
Mulmutius ordained our laws.
4. To set apart for an office; to appoint.
Jesus ordained twelve that they should be with him. Mark 3.
5. To appoint; to prepare.
For Tophet is ordained of old. Isaiah 30.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: order by virtue of superior authority; decree; "The King ordained the persecution and expulsion of the Jews"; "the legislature enacted this law in 1985" [syn: ordain, enact]
2: appoint to a clerical posts; "he was ordained in the Church" [syn: ordain, consecrate, ordinate, order]
3: invest with ministerial or priestly authority; "The minister was ordained only last month"
4: issue an order

Merriam Webster's

verb Etymology: Middle English ordeinen, from Anglo-French ordener, ordeiner, from Late Latin ordinare, from Latin, to put in order, appoint, from ordin-, ordo order Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. to invest officially (as by the laying on of hands) with ministerial or priestly authority 2. a. to establish or order by appointment, decree, or law ; enact <we the people…do ordain and establish this Constitution — U.S. Constitution> b. destine, foreordain intransitive verb to issue an order • ordainer noun • ordainment noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 confer holy orders on; appoint to the Christian ministry (ordained him priest; was ordained in 1970). 2 a (often foll. by that + clause) decree (ordained that he should go). b (of God, fate, etc.) destine; appoint (has ordained us to die). Derivatives: ordainer n. ordainment n. Etymology: ME f. AF ordeiner, OF ordein- stressed stem of ordener f. L ordinare f. ordo -inis order

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Ordain Or*dain", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ordained; p. pr. & vb. n. Ordaining.] [OE. ordeinen, OF. ordener, F. ordonner, fr. L. ordinare, from ordo, ordinis, order. See Order, and cf. Ordinance.] 1. To set in order; to arrange according to rule; to regulate; to set; to establish. ``Battle well ordained.'' --Spenser. The stake that shall be ordained on either side. --Chaucer. 2. To regulate, or establish, by appointment, decree, or law; to constitute; to decree; to appoint; to institute. Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month. --1 Kings xii. 32. And doth the power that man adores ordain Their doom ? --Byron. 3. To set apart for an office; to appoint. Being ordained his special governor. --Shak. 4. (Eccl.) To invest with ministerial or sacerdotal functions; to introduce into the office of the Christian ministry, by the laying on of hands, or other forms; to set apart by the ceremony of ordination. Meletius was ordained by Arian bishops. --Bp. Stillingfleet.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(ordains, ordaining, ordained) 1. When someone is ordained, they are made a member of the clergy in a religious ceremony. He was ordained a Catholic priest in 1982... Women have been ordained for many years in the Church of Scotland... He ordained his own priests, and threatened to ordain bishops... VERB: be V-ed n, be V-ed, V n 2. If some authority or power ordains something, they decide that it should happen or be in existence. (FORMAL) Nehru ordained that socialism should rule... His rule was ordained by heaven... The recession may already be severe enough to ordain structural change. = decree VERB: V that, be V-ed, V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. 1. Appoint, call, elect, consecrate, destine, set apart. 2. Establish, institute, regulate. 3. Decree, enact, order, prescribe, enjoin. 4. Appoint, constitute.

Moby Thesaurus

allocate, allot, appoint, appropriate to, assign, assign to, authorize, bid, call on, call the signals, call upon, canonize, carry on, charge, command, commission, consecrate, constitute, declare, declare lawful, decree, designate, destinate, destine, detail, devote, dictate, direct, doom, earmark, enact, enact laws, enjoin, enlist, enroll, establish, fate, filibuster, foredoom, formulate, frock, get the floor, give an order, give the word, have the floor, impose, inaugurate, induct, initiate, install, instate, instruct, invest, issue a command, issue a writ, keep, kill, lay down, legalize, legislate, legitimate, legitimatize, legitimize, lobby through, logroll, lot, make a regulation, make assignments, make legal, manage, mandate, mark, mark off, mark out for, name, nominate, operate, order, order about, ordinate, pass, pigeonhole, pocket, portion off, prescribe, proclaim, promulgate, pronounce, put in force, put through, railroad through, regulate, reserve, restrict, restrict to, roll logs, rule, run, saint, sanction, say the word, schedule, select, set, set apart, set aside, set off, sign on, sign up, tab, table, tag, take the floor, validate, veto, yield the floor