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or·der·ly (ôrdər-lē)
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adj.
1.
a. Free from disorder; neat or well-arranged: an orderly room.
b. Having a systematic arrangement: a garden with orderly rows.
2.
a. Given to keeping things neat or well-arranged: an orderly housekeeper.
b. Adhering or conforming to a method or system: an orderly researcher.
3. Devoid of violence or disruption; peaceful: an orderly transition of governments.
n. pl. or·der·lies
1. An attendant who does routine, nonmedical work in a hospital.
2. A soldier assigned to attend and perform various tasks for a superior officer.
adv.
Systematically; regularly.
order·li·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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