Ordinary
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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
ordinary¹
- /ˈɔːdɪnəɹi/ UK
- /ˈɔːdənɹi/ UK
- /ˈɔɹdɪnɛɹi/ US
- /ˈɔɹdɪnɛ(ə)ɹi/ US
Rhymes with -ɛəɹi
Where it comes from
From Anglo-Norman ordenarie, ordenaire et al., Middle French ordinaire, and their source, Medieval Latin ordinarius, noun use of Latin ōrdinārius (“regular, orderly”), from ōrdō (“order”).
noun ordinaries · ordinarie
- A person having immediate jurisdiction in a given case of ecclesiastical law, such as the bishop within a diocese.
- A courier; someone delivering mail or post. I […] will lay to till you come within hail […] but pray respond by the first ordinary.
- A judge with the authority to deal with cases himself or herself rather than by delegation.
- The chaplain of Newgate prison, who prepared condemned prisoners for death. He died with pious composure and resolution. I have just seen the Ordinary that attended him.
- Customary fare, one's regular daily allowance of food; (hence) a regular portion or allowance.
- A meal provided for a set price at an eating establishment. In short, Mr. Jolter could give a very good account of the stages on the road, and […] was a connoisseur in ordinaries, from twelve to five and thirty livres […].
- A place where such meals are served; a public tavern, inn. Vpon feſtiuall daies he goes to Court, and ſalutes vvithout re-ſaluting: at night in an Ordinarie he confeſſeth the buſineſſe in hand, and ſeemes as converſant vvith all intents and plots, as if he begot them.
- One of the standard geometric designs placed across the center of a coat of arms, such as a pale or fess.
- An ordinary person or thing; something commonplace. Spain had no other wars save those of the Low Countries, which were grown into an ordinary
- The usual course of things; normal condition or health; a standard way of behaviour or action. I ſee no more in you than in the ordinary / Of nature's ſalework.
- A penny farthing bicycle.
- A part of the Christian liturgy that is reasonably constant without regard to the date on which the service is performed.
- Alternative letter-case form of Ordinary (“those parts of the Mass which are consistent from day to day”).Ordinary
- A devotional manual; a book setting our rules for proper conduct.
- A rule, or book of rules, prescribing the order of a liturgy, especially of Mass.
adjective more ordinary · most ordinary · ordinarie
- Having regular jurisdiction; now only used in certain phrases.
- Being part of the natural order of things; normal, customary, routine. On an ordinary day I wake up at nine o'clock, work for six hours, and then go to the gym.
- Having no special characteristics or function; everyday, common, mundane; often deprecatory. I live a very ordinary life most of the time, but every year I spend a week in Antarctica.
- Bad or undesirable. 1983 September 20, Bruce Stannard, Australia II Joins Our Greats, The Age, republished 2003, David Headon (editor), The Best Ever Australian Sports Writing: A 200 Year Collection, page 480, It was, in some ways a sad, almost pathetic sight to see this great American boat which had fought so hard thr
Ordinary²
noun
- The part of the Roman Catholic Mass that is the same every day
