Revised as of
8 July 2023
Huh? I had no idea that ordinance was a variant spelling for ordnance. I suppose you could say that those ordinances the government passes are weapons. Some of them can make a person react like a weapon of mass destruction too.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Ordinance | Ordnance |
|---|---|
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Australia Rf–12 by Fry1989 and various others is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. — Municipal authorities use ordinances to determine a town’s speed limits and where they end. |
Federal Hydra-Shock 9mm – Side View is Rjordan1628’s own work and is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. — Some pretty damaging ordnance. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun
Plural: ordinances |
Noun
Plural: ordnance Variant of ordinance |
| [North American] A piece of legislation enacted by a municipal authority
An authoritative order A decree Something ordained or decreed by fate or a deity A prescribed usage, practice, or ceremony |
Mounted guns
Artillery [US] Military weapons, ammunition, and equipment used in connection with them A branch of the armed forces dealing with the supply and storage of weapons, ammunition, and related equipment |
| Examples: | |
| They’ve just passed a city ordinance that banned smoking in nearly all types of restaurants.
Avraham (Rami) Reiner wrote Rabbenu Tam’s Ordinance for the Return of the Dowry: Between Talmudic Exegesis and an Ordinance that Contradicts the Talmud. The town has passed a zoning ordinance limiting construction. A local ordinance forbids all street parking during snowstorms. |
You’ll have to speak to the sergeant at the ordnance depot.
The men are using 50-millimeter ordnance. We believe the enemy are running out of ordnance. The ordnance crew estimate that 40,000 rounds of ordnance are available. The American ordnance crew that had explored it estimated the mine contained 400,000 tons of explosives. The battalion is waiting on a shipment of ordnance. |
| History of the Word: | |
| The first known use was in the 14th century.
Middle English from the Old French ordenance, which is from the medieval Latin ordinantia, from Latin ordinare meaning put in order and also in the sense of arrangement in ranks. |
The first known use was in the 14th century.
Late Middle English ordinaunce, from the Anglo-French ordenance meaning disposition, preparation, and/or military provisions. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
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Resources for Ordinance versus Ordnance
Apple Dictionary.com
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Do Not Be Noisy Sign by j4p4n is in the public domain, via OpenClipArt. Dummy Air to Ground Ordnance, Fort Bliss, Texas, by Airman 1st Class Jason Long is under the Public Domain Mark 1.0 license and courtesy of the US National Archives, via Picryl.
