1. Plural of ordonnance; royal decrees or edicts, especially those issued in medieval and early modern France.
Usage: historical; often capitalized when referring to specific royal documents
2. In art and architecture, the arrangement or disposition of elements in a composition; orderly arrangement.
Usage: formal; technical

Examples

• The king issued several ordonnances to regulate trade throughout the kingdom.
• Medieval ordonnances established rules for the nobility and clergy.
• The architect's ordonnances created a harmonious balance in the façade.
• Royal ordonnances were often recorded in official registers.
• The painting's ordonnances demonstrated careful planning and symmetry.