ordain
UK[ɔːˈdeɪn]US[ɔːrˈdeɪn]
v
To officially make someone a priest or religious leader in a ceremony.
v
To order or command something officially, especially by law.
v
(of God or fate) To decide or arrange something in advance.
Morpheme Breakdown
or
dain
or
towards
dain
to set, to place
Etymology
The word 'ordain' originates from the Latin verb 'ordinare', meaning "to put in order, arrange, appoint". This Latin term is derived from 'ordo', meaning "order, rank, series". The journey traces further back to a Proto-Indo-European root h₂er- meaning "to fit, to join", which also gave rise to words like 'order' and 'ordinary'. The semantic evolution moved from the concrete idea of arranging things in a proper sequence to the formal, often sacred, act of appointing someone to a specific rank or office, reflecting a logical progression from general ordering to specific ceremonial appointment.
Analysis
Structure: or (towards) + dain (to set, to place)
- or: A prefix from Latin 'ob-', meaning "toward, against, in the way of".
- dain: A root from Latin 'dīnāre', a variant of 'dēnāre' (to dedicate, to consecrate), related to 'dēnus' (divine).
Examples
He was ordained as a priest in a ceremony last Sunday.
The new law was ordained by the city council to improve public safety.
Some believe that fate has ordained the course of our lives.