Word of the Day : October 1, 2020

inordinate \in-OR-dun-ut\ adjective

Definition

1 : exceeding reasonable limits : immoderate

2 archaic : disorderly, unregulated

Did You Know?

At one time, if something was "inordinate," it did not conform to the expected or desired order of things. That sense, synonymous with disorderly or unregulated, is now archaic, but it offers a hint as to the origins of inordinate. The word traces back to the Latin verb ordinare, meaning "to arrange," combined with the negative prefix in-. Ordinare is also the ancestor of such English words as coordination, ordain, ordination, and subordinate. The Latin root is a derivative of the noun ordo, meaning "order" or "arrangement," from which the English order and its derivatives originate.

Aired October 1, 2020

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