noun
- social position; rank in the community
- a state of peace and serenity; observance of the law; orderly conduct
- the sequence or arrangement of things or events; series; succession
- a fixed or definite plan; system; law of arrangement
- a group or class of persons set off from others by some trait or quality
- a group of persons constituting an association formed for some special purpose: the Order of Knights Templars
- a community of monks, nuns, etc. following a rule: the Benedictine order
- a group of persons distinguished by having received a certain award or citation, as for outstanding service to a state: the Order of the Garter
- the insignia of such a group
- a state or condition in which everything is in its right place and functioning properly
- condition or state in general: not in working order
- a command, direction, or instruction, usually backed by authority
- a distinctive group; class; kind; sort: sentiments of a high order
- an established method or system, as of conduct or action in meetings, worship, court, etc.
- a request or commission to make or supply something: an order for merchandise or services
- the goods so made or supplied: to deliver a grocery order
- ☆ a single portion of some food, as served in a restaurant: an order of cole slaw
- Archit.
- any of several classical styles of structure, determined chiefly by the type of column and entablature
- a style of building
- Biol. a major category in the classification of animals, plants, etc., ranking above a family and below a class: it can include one family or many similar families: the Latinized order names are capitalized but not italicized (Ex.: Fabales, legumes)
- Finance
- written instructions to pay money or surrender property
- a formal demand for payment, as by the endorsement and presentment of a negotiable instrument by its specified payee
- Gram. the arrangement or sequence of elements within a grammatical unit
- Law a direction or command of a court, judge, public body, etc.
- Math.
- a whole number describing the degree or stage of complexity of an algebraic expression
- an established sequence of numbers, letters, events, units, etc.
- the number of elements in a given group
- the number of rows or columns in a determinant or matrix
- Theol.
- any of the nine ranks or grades of angels
- any rank or grade in the Christian clergy
- the position of ordained minister, priest, etc.
- ordination, as of a minister or priest
- holy orders
Origin:
OFr ordre < L ordo (gen. ordinis), straight row, regular series, akin to ordiri, to lay the warp, hence begin, set in order, prob. < IE base *ar-, to join, fit > arm, art