- 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
- an association 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; specif., a condition conforming to established rules of orderly procedure, as in a court, legislative body, etc.
- condition or state in general: not in working order
- a command, direction, or instruction, usually backed by authority
- a distinctive group; class; kind; sort: paintings of the highest 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
- [usually pl.] the position of ordained minister, priest, etc.
- [usually pl.] ordination, as of a minister or priest
- holy orders
Origin of order
Old French ordre from Classical Latin ordo (gen. ordinis), straight row, regular series, akin to ordiri, to lay the warp, hence begin, set in order, probably from Indo-European base an unverified form ar-, to join, fit from source arm, art- to put or keep in order; organize; arrange
- to instruct to do something; give an order to; command
- to command (someone) to go to or from a specified place: to order him out of the house
- to request or direct that (something) be supplied, done, carried out, etc.: to order merchandise, to order a hearing
- Archaic, Eccles. to ordain (a priest, etc.)
- to give a command
- to request that something be supplied
used to call for quiet and orderly conduct, as to begin a formal meeting
order Idioms
by order of
according to the command of
call to order
to request to be quiet, as to start (a meeting)
in order
as a means to; so as to; to: followed by an infinitive: reduce spending in order to eliminate debt
in (or out of) order
- in (or not in) proper sequence or position
- in (or not in) good or working condition
- in (or not in) accordance with the rules, as of parliamentary procedure
- being (or not being) suitable to the occasion
in order that
so that; to the end that
in short order
without delay; quickly
on order
ordered, or requested, but not yet supplied
on the order of
- somewhat resembling; similar to
- approximately; roughly
order around
to treat in a domineering manner
also order about
tall order
Informal a difficult task or requirement
to order
in accordance with the buyer's specifications
