ordinated

Ordinated is an infrequently used English term with multiple potential senses derived from the verb ordinate or the noun ordinance. It is not common in contemporary usage, and its meaning depends on context. In most modern texts, more precise terms are preferred.

In mathematics, to ordinate a point means to assign its ordinate, that is, its y-coordinate, within a Cartesian coordinate system. The term ordinate itself denotes the second component of an ordered pair (x, y). Thus ordinated would describe a point or a set of points for which the ordinate has been defined or specified. However, many writers prefer simply to say the point’s y-coordinate or to refer to the ordinates of a curve.

In legal or municipal contexts, the standard verb is ordain, and the noun is ordinance. “Ordinated” is not a standard legal term and, if encountered, is usually considered nonstandard, archaic, or stylistically unusual. Some writers might use it (rarely) to mean “arranged by ordinance,” but such usage would be nonstandard and potentially confusing.

Etymologically, ordinates derive from Latin ordinare, “to arrange,” via Old French ordonner, yielding the noun ordinance and related forms. It is easy to confuse ordinared forms with coordinated or ordained forms due to phonetic similarity, but these belong to different word families.

See also: ordinate, ordinate (as noun and concept in geometry), abscissa, coordinate, ordinance, ordination.