foreordain means to predestine or preordain. It carries an Arena rating of 1511, earned across 16 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, foreordain ranks #2,648 of 13,274 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #3,482 of 13,274 for Most Sublime Words, #4,506 of 13,274 for Most Malleable Words, #5,205 of 13,274 for Most Beautiful Words.
foreordain is pronounced /ˌfɔːɹɔːˈdeɪn/.
Why “foreordain” is a great word
To destine or decree something in advance by a sovereign, often divine, will. From Middle English for-orden, a hybrid formation from the English prefix fore- ("before") + ordain (from Old French ordener, ultimately from Latin ordinare, "to arrange, order"), probably modeled on Latin praeordināre ("to order beforehand"). First recorded in use in the late 14th century. Unlike "predetermine," which implies a logical, human decision made ahead of time, or "foresee," which merely anticipates an outcome, to foreordain is to actively will that outcome into being from a position of ultimate authority. It is the weight of a prophecy that cannot be unwritten, the casting of a cosmic die whose fall is fixed before it leaves the hand, the architect’s blueprint not merely for a house but for history itself—a word that speaks not of chance, but of a blueprint written in a hand we cannot see.
Etymology
From Middle English for-orden; equivalent to fore- + ordain; probably modeled on Latin praeordināre.
verb
- To predestine or preordain.“What had Wyrd fore-ordained? Naegling blunted and this time broke into kindling.”
Words closest in meaning
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