ordinari

Ordinari is the masculine plural form of the Italian adjective ordinario, meaning ordinary, routine, or conventional. It is used to describe things that are not exceptional, such as oggetti ordinari (ordinary objects) or ritmi ordinari (ordinary rhythms). Italian adjectives agree in gender and number, so ordinario becomes ordinari in the masculine plural, ordinaria in the feminine singular, and ordinario in the masculine singular.

In ecclesiastical and canonical contexts, ordinario has a specialized sense. In canon law, an ordinary is a person who has ordinary jurisdiction by law over a defined territory or group, such as a diocesan bishop or eparch, or another church authority with ordinary power. The plural form ordinari refers to multiple such authorities; in English texts it is often rendered as “the ordinaries.” The term contrasts with authorities whose power is delegated or considered extraordinary.

Etymology: ordinari and ordinario derive from Latin ordinarius, from ordo meaning “order” or “rank,” and are related to the English word ordinary.

Related terms and uses: the concept appears in references to jurisdictions governed by an ordinary, such as an ordinariate, which is a type of church jurisdiction administered by an ordinary. The term ordinario, the singular Italian form, is used in similar ways in Italian, while Ordinary (in English) is the corresponding canonical term for the person with jurisdiction.