Ordinary

Ordinary is an adjective meaning usual, normal, or standard; not remarkable or exceptional. It describes things that belong to a general, everyday category, rather than those that are special, unusual, or extraordinary. The term can apply to people, events, processes, or objects, and is often used to indicate baseline conditions or common expectations.

Originating from Latin ordinarius, from ordo “order” or rank, ordinary entered English in the Middle Ages. It originally implied adherence to a rule or regular method and gradually extended to mean common or routine.

In common speech, ordinary appears in phrases such as the ordinary citizen, the ordinary course of events, or ordinary breakfast. In the Christian liturgical calendar, ordinary time refers to parts of the year without a special season. The contrast ordinary vs extraordinary occurs in liturgical contexts (the ordinary form vs the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite) and in other domains to distinguish routine from exceptional.

In ecclesiastical usage, an ordinary is a person with ordinary jurisdiction in a diocese or territorial entity, typically a bishop, archbishop, or other prelate with governing authority. In canon law, “the Ordinary” may refer to such an official.

In mathematics and science, ordinary is used in specific phrases, such as ordinary differential equations, here contrasting with partial or special cases; in biology, ordinary language might refer to commonplace characteristics.