command
pronunciation
How to pronounce command in British English:
UK [kəˈmɑːnd]
How to pronounce command in American English:
US [kəˈmænd]
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- Noun:
- an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
- a military unit or region under the control of a single officer
- the power or authority to command
- availability for use
- a position of highest authority
- great skillfulness and knowledge of some subject or activity
- (computer science) a line of code written as part of a computer program
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- Verb:
- be in command of
- make someone do something
- demand as one's due
- look down on
- exercise authoritative control or power over
Word Origin
- command
- command: [13] Ultimately, command and commend are the same word. Both come from Latin compound verbs formed from the intensive prefix com- and the verb mandāre ‘entrust, commit to someone’s charge’ (from which we get mandate). In the classical period this combination produced commendāre ‘commit to someone’s charge, commend, recommend’, which passed into English in the 14th century (recommend, a medieval formation, was acquired by English from medieval Latin in the 14th century).Later on, the compounding process was repeated, giving late Latin commandāre. By this time, mandāre had come to mean ‘order’ as well as ‘entrust’ (a change reflected in English mandatory). Commandāre inherited both these senses, and they coexisted through Old French comander and Anglo- Norman comaunder into Middle English commande.But ‘entrust’ was gradually taken over from the 14th century by commend, and by the end of the 15th century command meant simply ‘order’. Commandeer and commando are both of Afrikaans origin, and became established in English at the end of the 19th century largely as a result of the Boer War. Commodore [17] is probably a modification of Dutch komandeur, from French commandeur ‘commander’.=> commend, commodore, demand, mandatory, recommend, remand
- command (v.)
- c. 1300, from Old French comander "to order, enjoin, entrust" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *commandare, from Latin commendare "to recommend, entrust to" (see commend), altered by influence of Latin mandare "to commit, entrust" (see mandate (n.)). Replaced Old English bebeodan. Related: Commanded; commanding.
- command (n.)
- c. 1400, "order, command," from Old French comand (14c.), from comander (see command (v.)). Meaning "control, authority" is from mid-15c.
Antonym
Example
- 1. It is probably the most commonly used linux command .
- 2. But the overall chain of command seems remarkably robust .
- 3. Significant activities are analyzed and evaluated by a special group in the command structure .
- 4. Lithuania 's borders were still under soviet command .
- 5. Command had asked me to gather background on this goatherd abdur wali .