ordinal

adjective

1. of or relating to an order, as of animals or plants.
2. of or relating to order, rank, or position in a series.

noun

3. an ordinal number or numeral.

noun

1. a directory of ecclesiastical services.
2. a book containing the forms for the ordination of priests, consecration of bishops, etc.

adjective

1. denoting a certain position in a sequence of numbers
2. of, relating to, or characteristic of an order in biological classification

noun

3. short for ordinal number
4. a book containing the forms of services for the ordination of ministers
5. RC Church a service book

n.early 14c., “book setting forth the order of services in the Church,” from Late Latin adjective ordinalis (see ordinal (adj.)). adj.late 14c., “regular, ordinary,” from Old French ordinel and directly from Late Latin ordinalis “”showing order, denoting an order of succession,” from Latin ordo (genitive ordinis) “row, series” (see order (n.)). Meaning “marking position in an order or series” is from 1590s.