The ordinal adjective refers to an order.
Ordinal is an adjective that mentions that which is linked to an order . The notion is used above all in the field of mathematics and grammar .
The etymological origin of the term is found in the Latin ordinālis , which can be translated as “relative to order” and is made up of two different parts: ordo , which is synonymous with “order” , and the suffix -al , which is used to indicate “relative to” .
Ordinals in mathematics
Ordinals, for mathematics, are numbers that represent a certain order within the framework of a set that can be defined as well-ordered. The finite ordinal numbers correspond to the natural numbers , while the infinite ordinal that appears first is named ω .
Sometimes they are confused with cardinal numbers . However, they are different. Thus, these are used to count and are 1, 2, 3... The ordinals, for their part, are used to establish an order or a position and correspond to first, second, third...
Ordinals are used in multiple areas.
The term in grammar
In the field of grammar, ordinals are numeral adjectives that allow a succession of elements to be reflected in a certain order. Third, seventh, ninth and twenty-fifth are some of the adjectives of this type, among many others.
For example: “The French driver finished the race in fourth place, after being involved in a serious accident” , “The objective is for the company to be in first place in sales at the regional level” , “I would like to congratulate the director on this tenth anniversary of the institution.”
Ordinals are frequently used in the field of sports , since they allow the position of the participants in a competition to be indicated. In the standings of a soccer tournament, the champion team is the one that finishes the competition in first place.
In the same way, it is common to use ordinal numbers to refer to editions of events of all types. Clear examples in this sense are the following sentences: “The twentieth edition of the music awards begins,” “The local Independent Film Festival has reached its tenth edition,” “The Ham Fair celebrates this year its eighth edition expecting more success than ever.”
More uses of the term ordinal
No less important is to say that ordinals are also used to indicate the address in which one lives or any other address of a place to which one must go. Thus, you can say: “The work company for which I interviewed was located on the fourth floor of the Metropolis building,” “We stayed on the fifth floor of the most luxurious hotel in the city,” “I live on the third floor.” of a block of flats without an elevator.”
The ordinals can also be points that are mentioned within a law or another type of rule : “The 14th ordinal of article 258 of the Penal Code cannot be applied in this case” , “The Supreme Court could declare that the fourth ordinal of the regulations are unconstitutional.”