Definition

1. Noun:

   • The vertical coordinate in a system of Cartesian coordinates: In mathematics, the "ordinate" is the second number in an ordered pair (x, y) that specifies the vertical position of a point on a graph. It is the y-coordinate.

2. Verb:

   • To appoint someone to a religious office, especially as a priest, minister, or deacon: The act of conferring holy orders in a church.
   • To order or command by superior authority: To decree or establish something authoritatively.

Usage and Examples

• Noun (Mathematical Coordinate):
  • In the point (3, 5), the number 5 is the ordinate.
  • To plot the graph, find the ordinate on the vertical y-axis.
• Verb (Religious Ordination):
  • She was ordained as a priest last year.
  • The bishop will ordinate three new deacons in the ceremony.
• Verb (To Decree):
  • The council ordained that the new law would take effect immediately.
  • Fate seemed to have ordained their meeting.

Advanced Usage

• "Ordinate axis": Another term for the y-axis or vertical axis in a Cartesian coordinate system.
  • The values are plotted along the ordinate axis.
• "Ordained minister": A formal title for a clergyperson who has received ordination.
  • He served as an ordained minister for over forty years.

Variants and Related Words

• Ordination (n): The ceremony or process of ordaining someone; the state of being ordained.
  • Her ordination was a joyful event for the congregation.
• Ordinary (adj): Normal, usual, or commonplace. (Note: This is a distinct word with a different meaning, but it shares the same Latin root meaning "order").
• Subordinate (adj/n/v): Lower in rank or position; to treat or regard as of lesser importance.

Synonyms

• Noun (Coordinate): y-coordinate, vertical coordinate.
• Verb (Appoint): consecrate, anoint, install, invest.
• Verb (Decree): decree, dictate, prescribe, enact, establish.

Antonyms

• Noun (Coordinate): abscissa (the x-coordinate or horizontal coordinate).
• Verb (Appoint): defrock, laicize (to remove from holy orders).

Notes on Different Meanings

The noun form (mathematical coordinate) and the verb forms (to appoint religiously, to decree) are historically related but used in completely different contexts today. The noun comes from the Latin linea ordinata applicata, meaning "applied line in order." The verb comes from the Latin ordinare, meaning "to put in order, arrange, appoint." In modern English, they are effectively homographs (words spelled the same). The mathematical term is most common in technical or academic writing, while the verb is used in religious and formal legal or literary contexts.

Noun

1. the value of a coordinate on the vertical axis

Verb

1. bring (components or parts) into proper or desirable coordination correlation
   • align the wheels of my car
   • ordinate similar parts
2. appoint to a clerical posts
   • he was ordained in the Church