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Glite Dictionary
ordainer

ordainer

9.9
A religious leader like a bishop who officially makes someone a priest or minister in a ceremony
  • noun
  • /ɔrˈdeɪnər/
  • Formal
translation icon : ordenador
  • As an ordainer, her role was to lead the ritual that officially recognized new ministers.

Examples

  • If this god is truly the ordainer of everything in this world, of what meaning is any action, and whom should one teach at all?

    Blog text (1)

  • The bishop was known as an ordainer who could grant holy orders to aspiring clergy.

  • During the ceremony, the ordainer placed his hands on the candidate's head and prayed for divine guidance.

Synonyms

prelate
vsordainer
  • Jargon
12 9.1

A senior church leader who has authority over other clergy

is defined by performing the religious investiture rather than by rank
officiant
vsordainer
3 7.9

A person who leads a religious ceremony like a wedding

performs the formal investiture that grants holy orders
ordinator
vsordainer
  • Formal
9.9

A priest who leads the ceremony to make someone a church leader

is the general cleric who formally invests someone with holy orders
officiator
vsordainer
  • Formal
7.7

A person who leads a ceremony or acts as an official at an event

focuses on granting holy orders within a religious ceremony

Surface Forms

ordainer singular
ordainers plural

Morphology

ordainer = ordain (transparent) = ordain + er

Regular agentive formation: 'ordain' + '-er' clearly yields 'one who ordains', so the meaning is directly derivable.

Etymology

The word ordainer comes from ordain, which comes from the Latin ordinare and ordo, meaning 'to put in order' and 'order'. In church language, to ordain someone is to give them a place or role in the religious order, so an ordainer is the person who formally puts someone into that office.