ORDINATION

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does ordination mean? 

• ORDINATION (noun)
  The noun ORDINATION has 3 senses:

1. the status of being ordained to a sacred office

2. logical or comprehensible arrangement of separate elements

3. the act of ordaining; the act of conferring (or receiving) holy orders

  Familiarity information: ORDINATION used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• ORDINATION (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The status of being ordained to a sacred office

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("ordination" is a kind of...):

position; status (the relative position or standing of things or especially persons in a society)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Logical or comprehensible arrangement of separate elements

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

order; ordering; ordination

Context example:

we shall consider these questions in the inverse order of their presentation

Hypernyms ("ordination" is a kind of...):

arrangement (an orderly grouping (of things or persons) considered as a unit; the result of arranging)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ordination"):

bacteria order (an order of bacteria)

word order (the order of words in a text)

genetic code (the ordering of nucleotides in DNA molecules that carries the genetic information in living cells)

genome (the ordering of genes in a haploid set of chromosomes of a particular organism; the full DNA sequence of an organism)

series (similar things placed in order or happening one after another)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The act of ordaining; the act of conferring (or receiving) holy orders

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

ordinance; ordination

Context example:

the rabbi's family was present for his ordination

Hypernyms ("ordination" is a kind of...):

appointment; assignment; designation; naming (the act of putting a person into a non-elective position)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "ordination"):

laying on of hands (laying hands on a person's head to invoke spiritual blessing in Christian ordination)

Holonyms ("ordination" is a part of...):

holy order (the sacrament of ordination)

 Context examples 

It is of importance that no time should be lost with him, for he will of course have much to do relative to his ordination.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

His was a better, far better, nervous, mental, and muscular co-ordination.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

On the 23rd he was going to a friend near Peterborough, in the same situation as himself, and they were to receive ordination in the course of the Christmas week.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

The disagreement subsisting between yourself and my late honoured father always gave me much uneasiness, and since I have had the misfortune to lose him, I have frequently wished to heal the breach; but for some time I was kept back by my own doubts, fearing lest it might seem disrespectful to his memory for me to be on good terms with anyone with whom it had always pleased him to be at variance.—'There, Mrs. Bennet.'—My mind, however, is now made up on the subject, for having received ordination at Easter, I have been so fortunate as to be distinguished by the patronage of the Right Honourable Lady Catherine de Bourgh, widow of Sir Lewis de Bourgh, whose bounty and beneficence has preferred me to the valuable rectory of this parish, where it shall be my earnest endeavour to demean myself with grateful respect towards her ladyship, and be ever ready to perform those rites and ceremonies which are instituted by the Church of England. As a clergyman, moreover, I feel it my duty to promote and establish the blessing of peace in all families within the reach of my influence; and on these grounds I flatter myself that my present overtures are highly commendable, and that the circumstance of my being next in the entail of Longbourn estate will be kindly overlooked on your side, and not lead you to reject the offered olive-branch. I cannot be otherwise than concerned at being the means of injuring your amiable daughters, and beg leave to apologise for it, as well as to assure you of my readiness to make them every possible amends—but of this hereafter. If you should have no objection to receive me into your house, I propose myself the satisfaction of waiting on you and your family, Monday, November 18th, by four o'clock, and shall probably trespass on your hospitality till the Saturday se'ennight following, which I can do without any inconvenience, as Lady Catherine is far from objecting to my occasional absence on a Sunday, provided that some other clergyman is engaged to do the duty of the day.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

Edmund was at this time particularly full of cares: his mind being deeply occupied in the consideration of two important events now at hand, which were to fix his fate in life—ordination and matrimony—events of such a serious character as to make the ball, which would be very quickly followed by one of them, appear of less moment in his eyes than in those of any other person in the house.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

Really, said Elinor, I know so little of these kind of forms, that I can hardly even conjecture as to the time, or the preparation necessary; but I suppose two or three months will complete his ordination.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

Edmund had already gone through the service once since his ordination; and upon this being understood, he had a variety of questions from Crawford as to his feelings and success; questions, which being made, though with the vivacity of friendly interest and quick taste, without any touch of that spirit of banter or air of levity which Edmund knew to be most offensive to Fanny, he had true pleasure in satisfying; and when Crawford proceeded to ask his opinion and give his own as to the properest manner in which particular passages in the service should be delivered, shewing it to be a subject on which he had thought before, and thought with judgment, Edmund was still more and more pleased.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)