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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.

More words

From Old French

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