ordination

[ awr-dn-ey-shuhn ]

noun

1. Ecclesiastical. the act or ceremony of ordaining.
2. the fact or state of being ordained.
3. a decreeing.
4. the act of arranging.
5. the resulting state; disposition; arrangement.

ordination

/ ˌɔːdɪˈneɪʃən /

noun

1. 1. the act of conferring holy orders
   2. the reception of holy orders
2. the condition of being ordained or regulated
3. an arrangement or order

Other Words From

• nonor·di·nation noun
• postor·di·nation adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ordination¹

1350–1400; Middle English ordinacioun < Late Latin ōrdinātiō ordainment, Latin: a putting in order, appointment, equivalent to ōrdinā(re) to order, arrange (derivative of ōrdō, stem ōrdin-, order) + -tiō -tion

Example Sentences

In 2000, the SBC attempted to settle decades of debate on women’s ordination by issuing a statement that “the office of pastor is limited to men as qualified by Scripture.”

From No Straight News

While some continue to advocate for women’s ordination within the SBC, others, such as popular Bible study teacher Beth Moore, have made the painful decision to leave to pursue their leadership vocations in less restrictive communities.

From No Straight News

However, full ordination also offers prestigious standing in the community, higher ritual status, and freedom from serving monks and senior members, cooking, cleaning and performing daily maintenance.

From No Straight News

This is because to conduct the full ordination ceremony there need to be five fully ordained monks and five fully ordained nuns present.

From No Straight News

He was two weeks away from ordination, his son said, when he decided he no longer wanted to be a priest.

From Washington Post

Yet, until now, in the Orthodox movement, ordination has been granted only privately and rather infrequently.

From The Daily Beast

The study also cites a reluctance among some sisters to embrace the “reservation of priestly ordination to men.”

From The Daily Beast

The fatwas used to carry the authority of divine ordination.

From The Daily Beast

Rome's scrambling to undo damage from changes to church law that lumped ordination of women priests with child sex abuse.

From The Daily Beast

No period of preparation was necessary, at least in the beginning, for the ordination of an Aglipayan priest.

From Project Gutenberg

There he saw the ceremony of ordination performed, and expressed warm approbation of the Anglican ritual.

From Project Gutenberg

And the rejoicing thus variously represented is according to Divine ordination.

From Project Gutenberg

He told me himself, that ever since his ordination he has assumed what he calls a priestly garb.

From Project Gutenberg

His long vacations had ended, ordination was at hand, and his life-work would begin in the month of October.

From Project Gutenberg