ordain
Meaning: To officially confer holy orders on someone, making them a priest or minister; more broadly, to decree or order something with authority, or to predestine an outcome.
Ordain has three overlapping senses: religious (to make someone a member of the clergy), authoritative (to command or establish by decree), and fatalistic (to determine in advance, as if by divine will). The religious sense remains the most common, but 'ordained' as an adjective meaning 'decreed by fate' appears regularly in literary and journalistic writing.
Examples
- She was ordained as a priest in the Church of England in 1994, two years after the vote to admit women to the priesthood. 1994年,在女性获准担任圣职的投票通过两年后,她被按立为英国国教会的牧师。Fue ordenada sacerdote en la Iglesia de Inglaterra en 1994, dos años después de la votación que admitió a las mujeres en el sacerdocio.彼女は1994年、女性の聖職叙階を認める投票の2年後に、イングランド国教会の司祭に叙階された。그녀는 여성의 성직 서품을 허용하는 투표가 있은 지 2년 후인 1994년에 영국 성공회 사제로 서품되었다.
- The constitution ordains that no person shall be detained without charge for more than seventy-two hours. 宪法规定任何人不得在未经指控的情况下被拘留超过七十二小时。La constitución ordena que ninguna persona podrá ser detenida sin cargos durante más de setenta y dos horas.憲法は、何人も起訴なしに72時間を超えて拘束されてはならないと定めている。헌법은 어떠한 사람도 기소 없이 72시간 이상 구금될 수 없다고 규정하고 있다.
- It seemed as though fate had ordained that they should meet again under the most unlikely of circumstances. 命运似乎注定他们会在最不可能的情况下再次相遇。Parecía como si el destino hubiera ordenado que volvieran a encontrarse en las circunstancias más inverosímiles.運命が、彼らが最もありえない状況下で再び出会うことを定めていたかのようであった。마치 운명이 그들이 가장 뜻밖의 상황에서 다시 만나도록 정해 놓은 것 같았다.
Pronunciation
Usage Guide
Context: religion, legal, literary
Tone: neutral
Origin & History
From Latin ordinare (to arrange, appoint), from ordo (order, rank). Entered English in the 13th century via Old French ordener.
Cultural Context
Era: Modern
Generation: All ages
Social background: Universal
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