'ordination' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'ordinatio', where 'ordinare' meant 'to put in order' and 'ordo' meant 'order'.

'ordination' passed into Anglo-Norman/Old French (e.g. 'ordinaçon') and Middle English (e.g. 'ordinacioun'), eventually becoming the modern English word 'ordination'.

Initially it meant 'ordering or arrangement' in a general sense; over time it became specialized to mean 'the act or ceremony of appointing someone to religious office'.