An ecclesiastical grade or rank, as of deacon, priest, or bishop; the office of the Christian ministry; -- often used in the plural; as, to take orders, or to take holy orders, that is, to enter some grade of the ministry.

(usually plural) the status or rank or office of a Christian clergyman in an ecclesiastical hierarchy; "theologians still disagree over whether `bishop' should or should not be a separate order"

assign a rank or rating to; "how would you rank these students?"; "The restaurant is rated highly in the food guide"

a body of men or women bound by solemn vows and following a rule of life, e

Any of the various grades or degrees of the Christian ministry

A community under a religious rule, usually one in which members must take a solemn vow. In Christianity, any one of several grades of ministry or the office of a person in the ministry. Generally, a group of people united in some type of formal way. Also referred to as a military or religious decoration.

A religious society established under the authority of the Holy See in which the members are bound by solemn vows.

a general term applied to institutes* of consecrated life and to religious congregations;* the term was formerly used for those institutes* which had, as members, priests who took solemn vows.