ordain
verb/ɔːˈdeɪn/
/ɔːrˈdeɪn/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they ordain | /ɔːˈdeɪn/ /ɔːrˈdeɪn/ |
| he / she / it ordains | /ɔːˈdeɪnz/ /ɔːrˈdeɪnz/ |
| past simple ordained | /ɔːˈdeɪnd/ /ɔːrˈdeɪnd/ |
| past participle ordained | /ɔːˈdeɪnd/ /ɔːrˈdeɪnd/ |
| -ing form ordaining | /ɔːˈdeɪnɪŋ/ /ɔːrˈdeɪnɪŋ/ |
- ordain somebody | ordain somebody (as) something to make somebody a priest, minister or rabbi
- He was ordained (as) a priest last year.
- (formal) (of God, the law or fate) to order or command something; to decide something in advance
- ordain that… Fate had ordained that they would never meet again.
- it is ordained that… It was ordained that the property should be returned to the original owner.
- (be) ordained by somebody You should keep to the law as ordained by God.
Word OriginMiddle English (also in the sense ‘put in order’): from Anglo-Norman French ordeiner, from Latin ordinare, from ordo, ordin- ‘row, series, rank’.
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ordain