ordinaria

Ordinaria is the feminine form of the Latin adjective ordinarius, meaning ordinary, regular, or usual. The term appears in Latin texts and in Romance languages, where ordinaria generally carries the sense of being standard or commonplace. The related masculine form ordinarius is used when referring to a masculine noun or to a masculine agent, with ordinaria and ordinarium lining up with the gender of the noun they modify.

In ecclesiastical usage, especially within the Roman Catholic tradition, the word occurs in phrases such as forma ordinaria, which denotes the standard or ordinary form of the Roman Rite as used today. This is contrasted with forma extraordinaria, referring to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite (the liturgical form established by earlier authorities and often associated with the 1962 Missal). The term reflects notions of regular, canonical practice rather than exceptional or transitional rites.

In modern Romance languages, ordinaria remains a common feminine form meaning ordinary. For example, in Spanish and Italian, ordinaria can describe something routine, typical, or not extraordinary, while adapted phrases exist in Portuguese and other languages with similar meanings.

In academic and historical Latin usage, ordinaria may appear as an adjective agreeing with feminine nouns, including occasional descriptive or taxonomic contexts. While less common in contemporary technical vocabulary, the form preserves its general sense of normalcy and standardness across languages that inherit Latin morphology.

See also: ordinarius (masculine form), forma ordinaria, forma extraordinaria.