Order

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɔː.də/

Definitions

1. A request for goods or services, or an arrangement of things in a particular sequence or pattern
2. An authoritative instruction to do something ; a system or group organized for a specific purpose ; a condition where things are arranged neatly or follow rules
3. A directive given by someone in power ; a structured society or association with common goals ; the presence of neatness and method in how things are placed

Etymology: The noun "order" began as a picture of weaving. Its Latin ancestor "ordo" meant a row of threads on a loom, and the Latin verb "ordiri" meant to begin weaving, so the start of a fabric and the first step of any task share a root. A rank of soldiers, a line of houses, and a neat arrangement were all extensions of that idea of threads laid in sequence. The sense of a command or instruction grew from the notion of arrangement and rank, since a person giving orders was placing others in their proper place. Medieval French had "ordne" and "ordene," meaning order or rank, and these reached English in Middle English as "ordre" before the modern spelling settled in. The word "order" is a doublet of "ordo," meaning that English took it through French while Latin "ordo" came into English separately in more learned contexts, so the two forms share a root but arrived by different routes.

Synonyms: arrangement, sequence

Antonyms: disorder, chaos