ordinatio

Ordinatio is a Latin noun meaning the act of ordering, arranging, or establishing a system. It derives from ordo, Latin for order, with the noun-forming suffix -tio. In general usage, ordinatio can denote formal arrangement, designation of offices, or the organization of a plan or laws, and appears in historical legal, administrative, and rhetorical texts.

In religious contexts, ordinatio most often refers to ordination, the ceremonial act by which a person is consecrated to Holy Orders. In Catholic theology, ordination is considered a sacramental act that confers a permanent character and authorizes a person to perform ordained ministry, such as deacon, priest, or bishop. The ceremony typically includes the laying on of hands and specific prayers of consecration. The precise rites vary among Christian traditions; Catholic, Anglican, and Eastern Orthodox uses are closest to the sense found in Latin liturgical sources, while terminology and procedure differ in other communions.

Beyond liturgy, the Latin term also appears in non-religious texts to describe formal appointments or the ordering of offices within an institution or polity. In scholastic and historical writings, ordinatio may indicate the methodical arrangement of roles, duties, or regulations, separate from any sacramental sense.

In modern usage, the English cognate ordination preserves the primary religious meaning, while ordinatio remains primarily a Latin-term in scholarly or liturgical contexts. The word thus bridges secular concepts of ordering or appointing with the specific ecclesiastical rite of conferring ordained ministry.