Ordain

/ɔɹˈdeɪn/ · verb

Meaning

To prearrange unalterably..

Definitions by Sense

1. To prearrange unalterably.
2. To decree.
3. (religion) To admit into the ministry, for example as a priest, bishop, minister or Buddhist monk, or to authorize as a rabbi.
4. To predestine.

Example Sentences

What if the Foot, ordain'd the duſt to tread, / Or Hand, to toil, aſpir'd to be the Head? / What if the Head, the Eye, or Ear repin'd / To ſerve mere Engines to the ruling Mind?

On once more we swung, bumping uneasily along in the antique narrow-gauge coach, with gloomy woods and gathering night outside, shouts and songs (and quacks) inside—this was not at all the sort of train ordained by the logical strategists in Paris—then grinding to a stop at a mysterious halt which was no more than a nameboard in the pinewoods, without even a footpath leading to it, but nevertheless with a solitary passenger stolidly waiting.

Synonyms for ordain

Antonyms for ordain

Related Words

Word Forms

• ordains
• ordaining
• ordained

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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