ordination

American  

[awr-dn-ay-shuhn] / ˌɔr dnˈeɪ ʃən /

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.

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ordination British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

• nonordination
  noun
• postordination
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of ordination

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

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Explanation

What an inauguration is to a president, an ordination is to a religious authority. It's the ceremony of bestowing a person with a position of religious authority — as when someone becomes a priest, minister, or shaman. The noun ordination comes from the Latin word ordinare, meaning “put in order.” Becoming a religious leader usually requires training in a seminary followed by an ordination. On the other hand, the ordination of a monarch is a ceremony in which a King’s or Queen’s divine right to rule the country, which was historically considered a birth right, is asserted and initiated without any seminary courses required.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ordination

The Diocese of Sheffield, thrilled by the sight of students queueing down the road to worship to the pulsing sound of house music, fast-tracked Brain's route to priesthood despite the reservations of his ordination tutor.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

The order faced particular backlash when a humanoid robot "monk" took part in an ordination ceremony in May, pledging to "devote" itself to Buddhism.

From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026

Ceremonial organ music played, the ordination vows were taken, of course, in Latin.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

So when my wife, Julie, and I were invited to Long Island for the ordination of a son of close friends, we gladly accepted—even though we didn’t really know the ropes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

“Most likely, the first place they’ll send us after my ordination will be somewhere in Greece. There’s going to be a lot of rebuilding to do now that the Nazis have left.”

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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