standing order

noun

1. Military. (formerly) a general order always in force in a command and establishing uniform procedures for it; standard operating procedure.
2. standing orders, Parliamentary Procedure. the rules ensuring continuity of procedure during the meetings of an assembly.

standing order

noun

1. Also calledbanker's order an instruction to a bank by a depositor to pay a stated sum at regular intervals Compare direct debit
2. a rule or order governing the procedure, conduct, etc, of a legislative body
3. military one of a number of orders which have or are likely to have long-term validity

Word History and Origins

Origin of standing order¹

First recorded in 1730–40

Idioms and Phrases

A regulation that is in force until it is specifically changed or withdrawn, as in The waiters have standing orders to fill all glasses as they are emptied . This idiom began life in the mid-1600s as standing rule ; the word order began to be used about 1800 for such military orders and gradually was extended to other areas.