Nearby Words
adjective
1.
of no special quality or interest; commonplace; unexceptional: One novel is brilliant, the other is decidedly ordinary; an ordinary person.
2.
plain or undistinguished: ordinary clothes.
3.
somewhat inferior or below average; mediocre.
4.
customary; usual; normal: We plan to do the ordinary things this weekend.
5.
EXPANDChiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. common, vulgar, or disreputable.
6.
(of jurisdiction) immediate, as contrasted with something that is delegated.
7.
COLLAPSE(of officials) belonging to the regular staff or the fully recognized class.
noun
8.
the commonplace or average condition, degree, etc.: ability far above the ordinary.
9.
something regular, customary, or usual.
10.
Ecclesiastical.
a.
an order or form for divine service, especially that for saying Mass.
b.
the service of the Mass exclusive of the canon.
11.
History/Historical. a member of the clergy appointed to prepare condemned prisoners for death.
12.
EXPANDEnglish Ecclesiastical Law. a bishop, archbishop, or other ecclesiastic or his deputy, in his capacity as an ex officio ecclesiastical authority.
13.
(in some U.S. states) a judge of a court of probate.
14.
British. (in a restaurant or inn) a complete meal in which all courses are included at one fixed price, as opposed to à la carte service.
15.
a restaurant, public house, or dining room serving all guests and customers the same standard meal or fare.
16.
a high bicycle of an early type, with one large wheel in front and one small wheel behind.
17.
COLLAPSEHeraldry.
a.
any of the simplest and commonest charges, usually having straight or broadly curved edges.
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Ordinariness
is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
18.
in ordinary, in regular service: a physician in ordinary to the king.
19.
out of the ordinary,
a.
exceptional; unusual: Having triplets is certainly out of the ordinary.
b.
exceptionally good; unusually good: The food at this restaurant is truly out of the ordinary.
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English ordinarie (noun and adj.) < Latin ordinārius regular, of the usual order, equivalent to ordin- (see order) + -ārius -ary
1250–1300; Middle English ordinarie (noun and adj.) < Latin ordinārius regular, of the usual order, equivalent to ordin- (see order) + -ārius -ary
Related forms
or·di·nar·i·ness, noun
qua·si-or·di·nar·y, adjective
su·per·or·di·nar·y, adjective
un·or·di·nar·y, adjective
Antonyms
1. extraordinary, unusual.
1. extraordinary, unusual.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Link To ordinariness
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
ordinary
c.1460, "belonging to the usual order or course," from O.Fr. ordinarie, from L. ordinarius "customary, regular, usual, orderly," from ordo (gen. ordinis) "order" (see order). Various noun usages, dating to c.1380 and common until 19c., now largely extinct except in out of
EXPAND the ordinary (1893). In British education, Ordinary level "lowest of the three levels of General Certificate of Education" is attested from 1947 (abbrev. O level). Related: Ordinarily.
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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