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   or·der

   /ˈôrdər/

   noun

   • 1. the arrangement or disposition of people or things in relation to each other according to a particular sequence, pattern, or method: "I filed the cards in alphabetical order" Similar sequencearrangementorganizationdispositionstructuresystemseriessuccessiongroupingclassificationcategorizationcodificationsystematizationdisposalformlayoutarraysetuplineup
   • ▪ a state in which everything is in its correct or appropriate place: "she tried to put her shattered thoughts into some semblance of order" Similar tidinessneatnessorderlinesstrimnessharmonyapple-pie orderOpposite chaosdisarrayuntidiness
   • ▪ a state in which the laws and rules regulating the public behavior of members of a community are observed and authority is obeyed: "the army was deployed to keep order" Similar peacecontrollawful behaviorlaw and orderlawlawfulnessdisciplinecalmquietpeace and quietquietnesspeacefulnesspeaceablenesstranquilityserenityOpposite disorder
   • ▪ the prescribed or established procedure followed by a meeting, legislative assembly, debate, or court of law: "the meeting was called to order"
   • ▪ a stated form of liturgical service, or of administration of a rite or ceremony, prescribed by ecclesiastical authority.
   • 2. an authoritative command, direction, or instruction: "he was not going to take orders from a mere administrator" Similar commandinstructiondirectivedirectiondecreeedictinjunctionmandatedictatecommandmentlawruleregulationordinancestatutefiatdiktatdemandbiddingrequirementstipulationsummonswritwarrantpronunciamentoukaseinformal:say-soliterary:behestrare:rescript
   • ▪ an oral or written request for something to be made, supplied, or served: "the company has won an order for six tankers" Similar commissionpurchase orderrequestrequisitiondemandcallbookingreservationapplication
   • ▪ a thing made, supplied, or served as a result of an oral or written request: "orders will be delivered the next business day"
   • ▪ a written direction of a court or judge: "a judge's order forbidding the reporting of evidence"
   • ▪ a written direction to pay money or deliver property.
   • 3. a particular social, political, or economic system: "if only the peasantry would rise up against the established order" Similar systemclass systemhierarchypecking ordergroupinggradingrankingscale
   • ▪ a social class: "the upper social orders" Similar classlevelrankcastegradedegreepositionstationcategory
   • ▪ a grade or rank in the Christian ministry, especially that of bishop, priest, or deacon.
   • ▪ the rank or position of a member of the clergy or an ordained minister of a church: "he took priest's orders"
   • ▪ any of the nine grades of angelic beings in the celestial hierarchy.
   • 4. a society of monks, priests, nuns, etc., living according to certain religious and social regulations and discipline and at least some of whose members take solemn vows: "the Franciscan Order" Similar communitybrotherhoodsisterhood
   • ▪ a society of knights bound by a common rule of life and having a combined military and monastic character: historical "the Templars were also known as the Order of Christ"
   • ▪ an institution founded by a monarch for the purpose of conferring an honor or honors for merit on those appointed to it.
   • ▪ the insignia worn by members of an order of honor or merit.
   • ▪ a Masonic or similar fraternal organization. Similar organizationassociationsocietyfellowshipbodyfraternityconfraternitysororitybrotherhoodsisterhoodlodgeguildleagueunionclubdenominationsectrare:sodality
   • 5. the quality, nature, or importance of something: "with musical talent of this order, von Karajan would have been a phenomenon in any age" Similar typekindsortnaturevarietyilkgenrecaststylebrandvintagequalitycaliberstandard
   • ▪ the overall state or condition of something: "the house had just been vacated and was in good order" Similar conditionstaterepairshapesituation
   • 6. a principal taxonomic category that ranks below class and above family: "the higher orders of insects" Similar taxonomic groupclasssubclassfamilyspeciesbreedtechnical:taxon
   • 7. any of the five classical styles of architecture (Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Tuscan, and Composite) based on the proportions of columns, amount of decoration, etc.
   • ▪ any style or mode of architecture subject to uniform established proportions.
   • 8. equipment or uniform for a specified purpose or of a specified type: "drill order"
   • ▪ the position in which a rifle is held after ordering arms.
   • 9. the degree of complexity of an equation, expression, etc., as denoted by an ordinal number.
   • ▪ the number of differentiations required to reach the highest derivative in a differential equation.
   • ▪ the number of elements in a finite group.
   • ▪ the number of rows or columns in a square matrix.

   verb

   • 1. give an authoritative direction or instruction to do something: "she ordered me to leave" Similar instructcommanddirectenjoingive the order togive the command totellrequirechargeadjureliterary:biddecreeordainrulelegislatelay downdictateprescribepronouncedeterminerare:enact
   • ▪ continually tell someone in an overbearing way what to do: "she resented being ordered about"
   • ▪ command (something) to be done or (someone) to be treated in a particular way: North American "he ordered the anchor dropped" Similar instructcommanddirectenjoingive the order togive the command totellrequirechargeadjureliterary:bid
   • 2. request (something) to be made, supplied, or served: "my friend ordered the tickets last week" Similar requestapply forsend away/off forwrite off forput in an order forplace an order forrequisitionbookreservecommissioncontract forrare:bespeak
   • 3. arrange (something) in a methodical or appropriate way: "all entries are ordered by date" Similar organizeput in orderset in orderarrangesort outstraighten outmarshaldisposelay outregulategroupclassifycategorizecatalogcodifysystematizesystemizetabulatetriagerare:methodize

   Word Origin Middle English: from Old French ordre, from Latin ordo, ordin- ‘row, series, rank’.

   Derivatives

   • 1. orderer noun

   Scrabble Points: 6

   • O

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   • R

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   • D

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   • E

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