Origin: Latin suffix -tion
Ordination has 4 different meanings across 1 category:
the status of being ordained to a sacred office
"After years of study, he finally achieved ordination as a priest in his local diocese."
logical or comprehensible arrangement of separate elements
"we shall consider these questions in the inverse order of their presentation"
the act of ordaining; the act of conferring (or receiving) holy orders
"the rabbi's family was present for his ordination"
The act of ordaining or the state of being ordained.
"After years of study, he finally received his ordination as a priest."
In plain English: Ordination is when someone becomes an official leader of their religion after being formally chosen and trained for that role.
"The local bishop announced that three new priests would be ordained next Sunday morning."
Usage: Ordination specifically refers to the religious ceremony conferring holy orders, whereas general installation into a leadership role lacks this ecclesiastical connotation. Avoid using it as a verb; instead, use "ordain" for the action and "ordination" strictly for the event or status.
The word entered English via the path of Middle and Old French before arriving from its Latin root ordinatio. Originally meaning an act of arranging or putting in order, it evolved to specifically denote the religious ceremony by which a person is appointed to a church office.