the action of setting or arranging beforehand; also quasi-concrete a purpose.

The action of ordain, v. (in various senses); ordination.

Chiefly of God, a god, fate, etc.: the action or fact of ordaining or decreeing. Now rare.

Ordinance, rule, or design established in advance, esp. by divine will; previous design. Also figurative.

Destination, appointment.

gen. Predetermination; fate, destiny; an instance of this. Cf. predestine, v. 2.

Chiefly with reference to God, a god, fate, etc.: the action of ordaining, or deciding (an outcome, course of events, etc.) in advance; the state or…

= foreordination, n.

The action of predefine, v.; an instance of this.

The action of destining, appointing, foreordaining, or setting apart to a particular use, purpose, or end; the fact of being destined. (In modern…

Divine or superhuman appointment or command; an ordinance of God or a god, or of fate, etc.

Previous ordination or appointment, predestination; an instance of this.

The action of determining or establishing an outcome, course of events, etc., in advance; predestination; the fact of being determined in this way…

The quality or condition of being predetermined by or subject to fate or destiny; subjection to fate, as attributed to the universe generally…

The action of predesignating or (occasionally) predesigning (something); prior designation, appointment, or specification; an instance of this.

pre-ordination.

The action of appointing something beforehand; a prior appointment; (also) the fact of having been pre-appointed; pre-ordination.

Originally: †the choice of one person or thing in preference to others; a selection, a preference (obsolete). In later use: the fact of having been…

predestination.

The belief that events are predestined by God or fate.