# ordinance

## noun

or·di·nance
ˈȯr-də-nən(t)s
ˈȯrd-nən(t)s

1

a

**:**an authoritative decree or direction

**:**order

On that day the king signed three ordinances.

b

**:**a law set forth by a governmental authority

specifically

**:**a municipal regulationA city ordinance forbids construction work to start before 8 a.m.

2

**:**something ordained or decreed by fate or a deity

Let ordinance come as the gods foresay [=foretell] it.—William Shakespeare

3

**:**a prescribed usage, practice, or ceremony

observes the ordinance of abstinence during Lent

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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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