ordonnance

[ awr-dn-uh ns; French awr-daw-nahns ]

/ ˈɔr dn əns; French ɔr dɔˈnɑ̃s /

noun, plural or·don·nanc·es [awr-dn-uh n-siz; French awr-daw-nahns] /ˈɔr dn ən sɪz; French ɔr dɔˈnɑ̃s/.

the arrangement or disposition of parts, as of a building, picture, or literary work.

an ordinance, decree, or law.

Nearby words

ordn., ordnance, ordnance datum, ordnance survey, ordo, ordonnance, ordos, ordovician, ordure, ordzhonikidze, ordóñez

Origin of ordonnance

1635–45; < French, alteration of Old French ordenance ordinance, by influence of donner to give

Related forms

or·don·nant, adjective

Can be confused

ordinance ordnance ordonnance

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ordonnance

Ordonnance (French) pour l'exercice et les manœuvres de l'infanterie, par le commission de manœuvres.
Elements of Military Art and Science|Henry Wager Halleck
French law was codified in the 17th century by the “Ordonnance de 1673.”
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 7|Various
The existing “Code de Commerce” amplifies but substantially adopts the provisions of the “Ordonnance.”
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 7|Various
These companies of ordonnance have ever been regarded as the foundation of the French standing army.
The History of Chivalry, Volume II (of 2)|Charles Mills

Three Taitsi rode off to present the ordonnance to the Kitats.
Travels in Tartary, Thibet, and China|Evariste Regis Huc

British Dictionary definitions for ordonnance

ordonnance

/ (ˈɔːdənəns, French ɔrdɔnɑ̃s) /

noun

the proper disposition of the elements of a building or an artistic or literary composition

an ordinance, law, or decree, esp in French law

Word Origin for ordonnance

C17: from Old French ordenance arrangement, influenced by ordonner to 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