holy orders
Preserved but no longer current.
A clergyman is said to be in holv orders because he belongs to one of the orders or ranks of the Church. In the Church of England these are three, viz., Deacon, Priest, and Bishop; in the Roman Catholic Church there is a fourth, that of Sub-deacon.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “holy orders” mean?
A clergyman is said to be in holv orders because he belongs to one of the orders or ranks of the Church. In the Church of England these are three, viz., Deacon, Priest, and Bishop; in the Roman Catholic Church there is a fourth, that of Sub-deacon.
Is “holy orders” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.