in ordinary

prepositional phrase

In an official capacity (chiefly as a post-modifier in official titles).

“An ambassador in ordinary is one constantly resident at a foreign court.”

First used 17th c.
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Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. In an official capacity (chiefly as a post-modifier in official titles).First known use 17th c.

    An ambassador in ordinary is one constantly resident at a foreign court.

    1 more example

    The king experienced his first attack in autumn 1788, and as his condition worsened and the physicians-in-ordinary proved unable to cope or cure, the Reverend Dr Francis Willis (1717–1807), a clergyman doctor who ran a madhouse in Lincolnshire, was called in.

    1997, Roy Porter, The Greatest Benefit to Mankind, Folio Society, published 2016, page 263
  2. nauticalOut of commission and laid up; said of a naval vessel.
Cite this entry
APA

in ordinary. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20ordinary

MLA

“in ordinary.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20ordinary. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “in ordinary,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/in%20ordinary.

Source: in ordinary on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.