Etymologically
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ordinato

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 22 October 2026 at 04:34. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /or.diˈna.to/[1]

Forms

ordinato (feminine ordinata, masculine plural ordinati, feminine plural ordinate)[1]

Etymology

It is the past participle of ordinare (“to put in order”), used as an adjective.[2][3][4][5] The verb continues Latin ōrdinō (“to arrange, to put in order”), a derivative of ōrdō (“row, order”),[1] and Latin already had the participle in this sense.[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

The adjective is dated to the 14th century.[2][3][4] Giordano da Pisa, who died in 1311, observed that gems are each beautiful, but more so tutte insieme ordinate, set in order together.[7] DELI's first record of the sense “acting with order” is the Tristano of the late 14th century.[8]

Semantic evolution

Dante, in the Paradiso, uses the word of lights arranged in the shape of a letter, and in the Convivio of human society a uno fine ordinata, directed to one end; this “directed to a purpose” is now literary.[7][2][9] Old Italian also said it of a person of regulated conduct, and Boccaccio speaks of an ordinato desiderio.[6] Vannoccio Biringuccio, before 1537, uses it of a process that goes forward in order.[8]

Heraldry has ordinato for similar figures set in a row along a bend or a fess, recorded in 1940, and mathematics speaks of an insieme ordinato, a set with an order relation.[8][5][2] In the Church a priest who has received holy orders is ordinato.[3][10]

Timeline

  • Early 14th century – Giordano da Pisa uses ordinate of gems arranged together.[7]
  • Late 14th century – The Tristano uses it for “acting with order”.[8]
  • Before 1537 – Biringuccio uses it for “proceeding in order”.[8]
  • 1940 – The heraldic sense is recorded in a dictionary of heraldry.[8]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. tidy, in order, arranged in the proper place: una cucina pulita e ordinata.[9][2][10]
  2. Following a logical or practical order: un racconto ordinato dei fatti.[9][2][10]
  3. orderly, regular, of a way of life or an organisation; of a state, governed by clear laws.[9][11]
  4. Of a person, tidy and methodical in what they do; also as a noun.[9][2][3]
  5. Of troops, drawn up in order.[9]
  6. (ecclesiastical) ordained, having received holy orders.[9][3][10]
  7. (literary) Directed to a purpose.[9][2]
  8. (mathematics) Of a set, having an order relation: insieme parzialmente ordinato.[2][5][10]
  9. (heraldry) Of similar figures, set in a row along an ordinary.[2][5]
  10. (commerce) Ordered, requested by an order.[11]

Word family

  • ordinatamente
  • inordinato

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  3. ^ a b c d e Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  4. ^ a b Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  5. ^ a b c d Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  6. ^ a b Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  7. ^ a b c Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 12
  8. ^ a b c d e f Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  10. ^ a b c d e Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  11. ^ a b Gabrielli, Aldo (2020), Grande dizionario italiano, digital ed., Milano: Hoepli