ordinal

or·di·nal

1 [awr-dn-uhl]
adjective
1.
of or pertaining to an order, as of animals or plants.
2.
of or pertaining to order, rank, or position in a series.
noun
3.
an ordinal number or numeral.

Origin:
1590–1600; < Late Latin ōrdinālis in order equivalent to Latin ōrdin- (stem of ōrdō) order + -ālis -al1

or·di·nal·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged

or·di·nal

2 [awr-dn-uhl]
noun
1.
a directory of ecclesiastical services.
2.
a book containing the forms for the ordination of priests, consecration of bishops, etc.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin ōrdināle, noun use of neuter of ōrdinālis in order. See ordinal1

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To ordinal
00:10
Ordinal is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
Collins
World English Dictionary
ordinal (ˈɔːdɪnəl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
adj
1.  denoting a certain position in a sequence of numbers
2.  of, relating to, or characteristic of an order in biological classification
 
n
3.  short for ordinal number
4.  a book containing the forms of services for the ordination of ministers
5.  RC Church a service book
 
[C14: (in the sense: orderly): from Late Latin ordinalis denoting order or place in a series, from Latin ordōorder]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

ordinal
late 14c., "book setting forth the order of services in the Church," from L.L. adj. ordinalis "showing order, denoting an order of succession," from L. ordo (gen. ordinis) "row, series" (see order). The adj. in English, "marking position in an order or series," is attested from 1590s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary

ordinal definition

mathematics
An isomorphism class of well-ordered sets.
(1995-03-10)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © Denis Howe 2010 http://foldoc.org
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