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ordinal

1
[ awr-dn-uhl ]
/ ˈɔr dn əl /
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adjective
of or relating to an order, as of animals or plants.
of or relating to order, rank, or position in a series.
noun
an ordinal number or numeral.
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Origin of ordinal

1
1590–1600; <Late Latin ōrdinālis in order equivalent to Latin ōrdin- (stem of ōrdō) order + -ālis-al1

OTHER WORDS FROM ordinal

or·di·nal·ly, adverb

Words nearby ordinal

Order of the Thistle, order paper, order port, orders, order someone about, ordinal, ordinal number, ordinal numbers, ordinal scale, ordinance, ordinand

Other definitions for ordinal (2 of 2)

ordinal2
[ awr-dn-uhl ]
/ ˈɔr dn əl /
noun
a directory of ecclesiastical services.
a book containing the forms for the ordination of priests, consecration of bishops, etc.

Origin of ordinal

2
1350–1400; Middle English <Medieval Latin ōrdināle, noun use of neuter of ōrdinālis in order. See ordinal1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to ordinal

figure, statistic, sum, total, cardinal, character, cipher, count, decimal, denominator, digit, emblem, folio, fraction, googol, integer, numeral, numerator, prime, representation

How to use ordinal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ordinal

ordinal
/ (ˈɔːdɪnəl) /
adjective
denoting a certain position in a sequence of numbers
of, relating to, or characteristic of an order in biological classification
noun
short for ordinal number
a book containing the forms of services for the ordination of ministers
RC Church a service book

Word Origin for ordinal

C14: (in the sense: orderly): from Late Latin ordinalis denoting order or place in a series, from Latin ordō 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
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