ordain
or-DAYN
/ɔːrˈdeɪn/
To make someone a priest or minister; to confer holy orders upon.
Implies a formal, ritualistic appointment. It can also mean to decree or command something by fate or law.
The story behind the word. From the Latin 'ordinare', meaning 'to put in order'. It reflects the idea that the church has a specific 'order' or structure, and to ordain someone is to place them into their proper rank within that order.
Word relationships
- consecrate: Consecrate means to make sacred; ordain specifically refers to the appointment to a religious office.
- appoint: Appoint is a secular term for choosing someone for a role; ordain is the religious equivalent.
- defrock: To defrock is to officially remove someone from the clergy, the opposite of ordaining them.
Commonly confused with
- order: While related, 'order' is the noun (holy orders), and 'ordain' is the action of conferring them.
Word family
- ordination (noun): The ceremony of being ordained.
- ordained (adjective): Having been made a priest.
Collocations
- ordain a priest
- divinely ordained
- ordained minister
Example sentences
- "The bishop traveled to the cathedral to ordain several new priests into the diocese." A description of a religious ceremony.
- "If the gods so ordain, we shall meet again in better times." A classic literary use regarding fate.
Memory hook
To ORDAIN is to put someone in the religious ORDER. Order in the church.
When not to use
Avoid using for casual appointments like hiring a manager; it is strictly for religious or 'fated' contexts.
Fun facts
- In some traditions, 'ordain' can also refer to the 'ordering' of the universe by a higher power.
Related words
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