ordain

verb

or·​dain ȯr-ˈdān 

ordained; ordaining; ordains

transitive verb

1

: to invest (see invest entry 2 sense 1) officially (as by the laying on of hands) with ministerial or priestly authority

was ordained as a priest

2

a

: to establish or order by appointment, decree, or law : enact

we the people … do ordain and establish this Constitution

—U.S. Constitution

b

: destine, foreordain

It is futile to try to avoid what destiny has ordained.

intransitive verb

: to issue an order

so the gods have ordained

ordainer noun

ordainment

ȯr-ˈdān-mənt 

noun

Synonyms

• destine
• doom
• fate
• foredoom
• foreordain
• predestine
• predetermine
• preordain

Examples of ordain in a Sentence

She is an ordained minister.

The process was ordained by law.

Recent Examples on the Web

Frustrations about the slow pace of reform bubbled into the open during the assembly when the pope’s doctrine adviser ruled out ordaining women as deacons and then failed to turn up to a meeting on the topic. —Christopher Lamb, CNN, 27 Oct. 2024

Born in Poland in 1920 but not ordained a priest until after World War II, the master of at least a dozen languages was elected Oct. 16, 1978 — making him among the youngest popes in history — amid much jubilation from Chicago’s Polish American community, which was the largest outside Warsaw. —Marianne Mather, Chicago Tribune, 3 Oct. 2024

One of the most notable initiatives is the collaboration with Emma Slade, the first Western woman to be fully ordained as a Buddhist nun in Bhutan. —Judy Koutsky, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024

How the movement began and progressed The Catholic women priest movement is traced back to 2002—when seven women were ordained on the Danube River in Germany. —Lisa Ling, CBS News, 19 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ordeinen, from Anglo-French ordener, ordeiner, from Late Latin ordinare, from Latin, to put in order, appoint, from ordin-, ordo order

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Kids Definition

ordain

verb

or·​dain ȯr-ˈdān 

1

: to make a person a Christian minister or priest by a special ceremony

2

a

: decree entry 2

it was ordained by law

b

: destine sense 1

we seem ordained to fail