ordinance
n. countablen. an official rule or law made by a local government. It is usually used for things like parking, noise, or building rules in a specific city or town.
n. a local law or regulation enacted by a municipal authority. Often distinguished from statutes, which are passed at the state or national level.
The city passed a new ordinance to limit noise after midnight.
Under the local zoning ordinance, residents are prohibited from running commercial businesses out of their private garages.
While the state legislature debated broader environmental reforms, the city council enacted a strict ordinance banning single-use plastics within municipal limits to address immediate waste concerns.
From Middle English ordinaunce (ca. 1300), from Old French ordenance (“decree, command”) (modern French ordonnance), from Medieval Latin ordinantia, from ordinans, the present participle of ordino (“put in order”) (whence ordain). Doublet of ordonnance.
Commonly used in legal and administrative contexts; often paired with verbs like 'pass', 'enact', or 'violate'.
the army ran out of ordinancethe army ran out of ordnanceLearners often confuse 'ordinance' (a law) with 'ordnance' (military supplies and ammunition).