In ecclesiastical law. The holy orders of priest, deacon, and subdeacon, any of which qualified for presentation and admission to an ecclesiastical dignity or cure were called “ordine* majore*;” and the inferior orders of chanters, psalmists, ostia ry, reader, exorcist, and acolyte were called “ordine* minore*” Persons ordained to the ordine* minore* had their prima tonsura, different from the tonsura clericali*. Cowell.
Source: Black’s Law Dictionary 2nd Ed (1910)
