ordain
or-DAYN · verb
LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish
Origin
From Middle English ordeynen, from Old French ordiner, from Latin ordinare ("to order"), from ordo ("order").
Journey
The word has stayed close to its root sense of putting things into proper order, extending that idea to the formal appointment of someone or something into a fixed role.
Related words
It's a doublet of ordinate, meaning both words descend from the same Latin root ordinare, having simply taken different paths into English.