Definition

1. Noun:
   • The act or ceremony of ordaining someone; the conferring of holy orders: The formal process of appointing someone to a religious ministry, such as a priest, minister, or rabbi.
   • The fact or status of being ordained: The condition of having received holy orders.
   • Logical arrangement or ordering: A structured sequence or systematic arrangement of elements.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (Religious Ceremony):

  • The bishop presided over the ordination of three new priests.
  • Her family traveled to attend her ordination service at the seminary.

• Noun (Status):

  • After his ordination, he was assigned to a parish in the city.
  • The requirements for ordination vary between different religious denominations.

• Noun (Logical Arrangement):

  • The ordination of the chapters in the textbook follows a chronological sequence.
  • We must understand the ordination of events to grasp the historical cause and effect.

Advanced Usage

• "Ordination vows": The promises made by a person during their ordination ceremony.

  • He took his ordination vows very seriously.

• "Ordination of women": The practice of ordaining female candidates into religious ministry.

  • The debate about the ordination of women continues in some churches.

Variants and Related Words

• Ordain (verb): To confer holy orders upon someone; to decree or order something.

  • The church will ordain new deacons next month.

• Ordinal (adjective/noun): Relating to order or position in a series (e.g., first, second). A number defining this position.

  • 'First' and 'third' are ordinal numbers.

Synonyms

• Consecration: The act of declaring something sacred, often used similarly in a religious context.
• Installation: The formal process of placing someone in a new position of authority.
• Arrangement: The action, process, or result of arranging or being arranged.

Related Phrases

• "Lay ordination": In some Buddhist traditions, a ceremony for committing to follow precepts as a layperson, distinct from monastic ordination.
  • She participated in a lay ordination ceremony.

Related Idioms

• "In the order of their ordination": Referring to a sequence based on when individuals were ordained.
  • The seniority list was based on the order of their ordination.

Noun

1. the act of ordaining; the act of conferring (or receiving) holy orders
   • the rabbi's family was present for his ordination
2. logical or comprehensible arrangement of separate elements
   • we shall consider these questions in the inverse order of their presentation
3. the status of being ordained to a sacred office