Order
|or-der|
🇺🇸
/ˈɔrdər/
🇬🇧
/ˈɔːdə/
(order)
arrangement or command
Etymology
'order' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'ordo' (genitive 'ordinis'), where the root 'ord-' meant 'row' or 'rank'.
'order' changed from Latin 'ordo' to Old French 'ordre', then entered Middle English as 'ordr' / 'orden' and eventually became the modern English word 'order'.
Initially it meant 'row' or 'arrangement'; over time the sense broadened to include 'rank', 'system', and later 'command' and 'formal request' (as in ordering goods).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a request to make, supply, or deliver something (e.g., goods, food).
I placed an order for the new laptop.
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Noun 2
an authoritative command or instruction.
The officer gave an order to retreat.
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Noun 3
the arrangement or sequence of things.
Please put the files in alphabetical order.
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Noun 4
a social class, rank, or organized group (e.g., a religious order; an order of knights).
She entered a religious order after university.
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Noun 5
an official decree or warrant issued by a court or authority (e.g., court order).
The court issued an order to freeze the assets.
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Noun 6
a taxonomic rank in biology between class and family.
The order Primates includes humans and apes.
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Verb 1
to give an authoritative command; to instruct someone to do something.
The general ordered his troops to advance.
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Verb 2
to request that something be made, supplied, or served (to order goods or a meal).
I ordered a coffee at the cafe.
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Last updated: 2025/09/24 03:34