Definitions for ordinary
ˈɔr dnˌɛr ior·di·na·ry

Princeton's WordNet(3.43 / 7 votes)Rate this definition:

1. ordinarynoun

   a judge of a probate court

2. ordinarynoun

   the expected or commonplace condition or situation

   "not out of the ordinary"

3. ordinarynoun

   a clergyman appointed to prepare condemned prisoners for death

4. ordinary, ordinary bicyclenoun

   an early bicycle with a very large front wheel and small back wheel

5. ordinaryadjective

   (heraldry) any of several conventional figures used on shields

6. ordinaryadjective

   not exceptional in any way especially in quality or ability or size or degree

   "ordinary everyday objects"; "ordinary decency"; "an ordinary day"; "an ordinary wine"

7. average, ordinaryadjective

   lacking special distinction, rank, or status; commonly encountered

   "average people"; "the ordinary (or common) man in the street"

Wiktionary(5.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. ordinarynoun

   A devotional manual.

   Etymology: From ordenaire, ordenarie etc., from ordinarius, from ordo.

2. ordinarynoun

   A rule, or book of rules, prescribing the order of service, especially of Mass.

   Etymology: From ordenaire, ordenarie etc., from ordinarius, from ordo.

3. ordinarynoun

   A person having immediate jurisdiction in a given case of ecclesiastical law, such as the bishop within a diocese.

   Etymology: From ordenaire, ordenarie etc., from ordinarius, from ordo.

4. ordinarynoun

   A set portion of food, later as available for a fixed price at an inn or other eating establishment.

   Etymology: From ordenaire, ordenarie etc., from ordinarius, from ordo.

5. ordinarynoun

   A place where such meals are served; a public tavern, inn.

   Etymology: From ordenaire, ordenarie etc., from ordinarius, from ordo.

6. ordinarynoun

   One of the standard geometric designs placed across the center of a coat of arms, such as a pale or fess.

   Etymology: From ordenaire, ordenarie etc., from ordinarius, from ordo.

7. ordinarynoun

   An ordinary thing or person.

   Etymology: From ordenaire, ordenarie etc., from ordinarius, from ordo.

8. ordinarynoun

   A penny-farthing bicycle.

   Etymology: From ordenaire, ordenarie etc., from ordinarius, from ordo.

9. ordinaryadjective

   Having regular jurisdiction (of a judge; now only used in certain phrases).

   Etymology: From ordenaire, ordenarie etc., from ordinarius, from ordo.

10. ordinaryadjective

    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.

    Etymology: From ordenaire, ordenarie etc., from ordinarius, from ordo.

11. ordinaryadjective

    Having no special characteristics or function; everyday, common, mundane (often deprecatory).

    Etymology: From ordenaire, ordenarie etc., from ordinarius, from ordo.

12. ordinaryadjective

    Bad or undesirable.

    Etymology: From ordenaire, ordenarie etc., from ordinarius, from ordo.

13. Ordinarynoun

    The part of the Roman Catholic Mass that is the same every day

    Etymology: From ordenaire, ordenarie etc., from ordinarius, from ordo.

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Ordinary

   An ordinary is an officer of a church or civic authority who by reason of office has ordinary power to execute laws. Such officers are found in hierarchically organised churches of Western Christianity which have an ecclesiastical law system. In the Episcopal Church, for example, an ordinary is a diocesan bishop. In Eastern Christianity, a corresponding officer is called a hierarch. Within civic governance, notably in the southern United States, the role of the county ordinary historically involved the discharge of certain, often legal or legally related, tasks falling to city or county authorities, such as licensing marriages and adjudicating claims against an authority.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Ordinary

   or′di-na-ri, adj. according to the common order: usual: of common rank: plain: of little merit: (coll.) plain-looking.—n. a judge of ecclesiastical or other causes who acts in his own right: something settled or customary: actual office: a bishop or his deputy: a place where regular meals are provided at fixed charges: the common run or mass: (her.) one of a class of armorial charges, called also honourable ordinaries, figures of simple outline and geometrical form, conventional in character—chief, pale, fess, bend, bend-sinister, chevron, cross, saltire, pile, pall, bordure, orle, tressure, canton, flanches.—adv. Or′dinarily.—Ordinary of the mass, the established sequence or fixed order for saying mass.—In ordinary, in regular and customary attendance.

Dictionary of Nautical Terms(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. ordinary

   The establishment of the persons formerly employed to take charge of the ships of war which are laid up in ordinary at several harbours adjacent to the royal dockyards. These duties are now under the superintendent of the dockyard. Also, the state of such men-of-war and vessels as are out of commission and laid up.

Matched Categories

1. • Bicycle
   • Clergyman
   • Condition
   • Judge
   • Law

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'ordinary' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1589

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'ordinary' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1339

3. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'ordinary' in Adjectives Frequency: #182

How to pronounce ordinary?

1. Alex

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

How to say ordinary in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of ordinary in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of ordinary in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of ordinary in a Sentence

1. Aldous Huxley:

   That all men are equal is a proposition which, at ordinary times, no sane individual has ever given his assent.

2. Detective Christopher Covelli:

   Anything out of the ordinary. The public can help. If they see something unusual, report it.

3. Barack Obama:

   My top priority in any trade negotiation is expanding opportunity for hardworking Americans. It's no secret that past trade deals haven't always lived up to their promise, and that's why I will only sign my name to an agreement that helps ordinary Americans get ahead, the bill put forward today would help us write those rules in a way that avoids the mistakes from our past, seizes opportunities for our future and stays true to our values.

4. Chang Jian:

   There are fewer and fewer opportunities for ordinary people to participate in elections.

5. Amnesty International deputy director:

   What we don't need in the wake of this tragedy is another 'extraordinary' meeting that leads to a dead end. What would be truly out of the ordinary - but completely necessary - is real and concerted action.

Images & Illustrations of ordinary

Popularity rank by frequency of use