ordain
[ awr-deyn ]
/ ɔrˈdeɪn /
verb (used with object)
to invest with ministerial or sacerdotal functions; confer holy orders upon.
to enact or establish by law, edict, etc.: to ordain a new type of government.
to decree; give orders for: He ordained that the restrictions were to be lifted.
(of God, fate, etc.) to destine or predestine: Fate had ordained the meeting.
verb (used without object)
Nearby words
orciprenaline sulfate, orcus, orczy, ord, ord., ordain, ordainee, ordeal, ordeal bean, ordeal tree, order
Origin of ordain
1250–1300; Middle English ordeinen < Old French ordener < Latin ordināre to order, arrange, appoint. See ordination
SYNONYMS FOR ordain
4 predetermine.
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for ordain
British Dictionary definitions for ordain
ordain
/ (ɔːˈdeɪn) /
verb (tr)
to consecrate (someone) as a priest; confer holy orders upon
(may take a clause as object) to decree, appoint, or predestine irrevocably
(may take a clause as object) to order, establish, or enact with authority
obsolete to select for an office
Derived Forms
ordainer, nounordainment, nounWord Origin for ordain
C13: from Anglo-Norman ordeiner, from Late Latin ordināre, from Latin ordo order
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012