ordinal

[awr-dn-uh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ordinal ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

Origin of ordinal

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

Related formsor·di·nal·ly, adverb

ordinal

[awr-dn-uh l]

noun

a directory of ecclesiastical services.

a book containing the forms for the ordination of priests, consecration of bishops, etc.

Origin of ordinal

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. 2019

Related Words for ordinal

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

Examples from the Web for ordinal

Historical Examples of ordinal

Phauloptera: an ordinal term for the scale insects (Laporte 1835).
Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology
John. B. Smith
Ordinal—That form of the numeral that shows the order of anything in a series.
Capitals
Frederick W. Hamilton
If the ordinal expression of number be used on the title-page, the figures may be given, and the ordinal termination omitted.
Smithsonian Report on the Construction of Catalogues of Libraries and their Publication by Means of Separate, Stereotyped Titles
Charles C. Jewett
An 'ordinal' is a book showing the order of church services and ceremonies.
Fourteenth Century Verse & Prose
Various
Ordinal numerals are adjectives which answer the question "Which in order?"
A Complete Grammar of Esperanto
Ivy Kellerman Reed

British Dictionary definitions for ordinal

ordinal

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

Word Origin and History for ordinal

early 14c., "book setting forth the order of services in the Church," from Late Latin adjective ordinalis (see ordinal (adj.)).

adj.

late 14c., "regular, ordinary," from Old French ordinel and directly from Late Latin ordinalis ""showing order, denoting an order of succession," from Latin ordo (genitive ordinis) "row, series" (see order (n.)). Meaning "marking position in an order or series" is from 1590s.