ordinatio

Forms

ōrdinātiō f (genitive ōrdinātiōnis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin ōrdinō (“to arrange”) + -tiō, from ōrdō “row, order”.^[2][1] De Vaan reconstructs ⟨ōrdō⟩ as Proto-Italic ⟨*ord-n-⟩ “row, order”, perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *h₂or-d-, and notes that its original denominative was ōrnō.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citation is Vitruvius, of arrangement.^[2] Köbler dates Vitruvius c. 84–c. 25 BC.^[4]

Semantic evolution

It meant arranging things in their proper positions, arrangement, as in Vitruvius and Columella; putting in order, organization, as in Pliny; and in Quintilian a prescribing of what should be done, and the appointment of officials.^[2][5]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it means ordination, ordinance, decree, system.^[6] Medieval Latin used it for the installation of a priest or bishop, ordination, and for election.^[7] It survives as Spanish ordenación and Italian ordinazione, and German Ordination is from it.^[1][4]

Timeline

• c. 84–c. 25 BC – Vitruvius uses it of arrangement.^[2][4]
• 23/24–79 AD – Pliny uses it of organization.^[2][4]
• c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian uses it of appointment.^[2][4]

Meanings

Noun

1. Arrangement, disposition.^[2][5]
2. Putting in order, organization.^[2]
3. Prescription; appointment (of officials).^[2]
4. (Ecclesiastical Latin) Ordination; an ordinance.^[6][7]

Word family

• inōrdinātiō

Related words

• ōrdinō
• ōrdō
• ōrdinātor
• English ordination

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
5. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
6. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
7. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill