ordination

American  

[awr-dn-ey-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

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

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

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

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026

In many ways, an ordination is like a wedding.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 22, 2026

Dame Sarah told Theresa May her approach has always been to encourage clergy in their ministries, even if they were theologically opposed to the ordination of women.

From BBC • Dec. 31, 2025

Mr. Leiter, who earned orthodox rabbinical ordination, breaks into a homily connecting his son Moshe to the biblical original, Moses.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025

If Reb Saunders even once heard of Danny being anywhere in my presence, he would remove him immediately from the college and send him to an out-of-town yeshiva for his rabbinic ordination.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok