ordinalism
/ˈɔːdɪn(ə)lɪz(ə)m/ /ˈɔːdɪnəlɪz(ə)m/ /ˈɔːd(ə)nəlɪz(ə)m/rare before 20th cent
noun
Originally: the quality of being ordinal. Later: the process of ranking things on an ordinal scale; (Economics ) a system of measuring utility using rankings of preference.
Origin
Mid 19th century; earliest use found in Robert Latham (1812–1888), ethnologist and philologist. From ordinal + -ism.