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or·di·nate

(ôrdn-ĭt, -āt′)

adj.

Arranged in regular rows, as the spots on the wings of an insect.

Symbol y The plane Cartesian coordinate representing the distance from a specified point to the x-axis, measured parallel to the y-axis.

[Middle English, properly ordered, from Latin ōrdinātus, past participle of ōrdināre, to set in order, from ōrdō, ōrdin-, order; see ar- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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