Ordonnance

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈoɹdənəns/

Definitions

1. A formal order issued by an authority ; instructions from a doctor for medicine or treatment
2. An authoritative command or directive given by a government or official body ; a written set of directions from a physician for medication or therapy
3. A legally binding mandate or regulation enacted by a ruler or agency ; a doctor's detailed recommendation regarding medicines or health care

Etymology: The English "ordonnance" arrived straight from French, where it carried the same core idea it has in English today: a decree or command issued by someone in authority. Its Latin ancestor, "ordinare," meant to arrange or set in order, so a formal order was, at root, something that put matters into their proper arrangement. The same French word gave English two other forms, "ordinance" and "ordnance," which is why the three now look so unrelated. The divergence is the surprising part. "Ordinance" kept the sense of a rule or regulation laid down by an authority, as in a municipal ordinance. "Ordnance," by contrast, drifted toward military supplies, especially artillery and munitions, and that is the usage most English speakers now associate with the spelling. "Ordonnance" retained the French spelling, and in English it stayed closer to the medical sense of a prescribed directive, a doctor's instructions for medicine or treatment.

Synonyms: decree, order, regulation