Etymologically
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mandatory

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 16 October 2026 at 14:06. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈmæn.də.t(ə)ɹi/, /mænˈdeɪ.tə.ɹi/ (UK); /ˈmæn.dəˌtɔɹ.i/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Late Latin mandatorius (“pertaining to a mandator”),[2][3][4] one who gives a charge or command,[2] from Latin mandatus, past participle of mandāre (“to command, entrust”) (see mandate).[2][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Of the nature of a mandate, containing a command: the late 15th century in NODE and SOED, the 15th century in MWU;[4][5][3] 1576 in the OED.[6]

Semantic evolution

As a noun, one to whom a mandate is given, it is from 1661 (1648 in MWU).[6][3] Of actions, obligatory because commanded, it is from 1818.[6][2] Of a power or state holding a mandate from the League of Nations to administer a territory, the noun is from 1919 and the adjective from 1921.[6]

Timeline

  • late 15th century – containing a command.[4]
  • 1661 – a mandatary (noun).[6]
  • 1818 – obligatory.[6]
  • 1919 – a mandatory power.[6]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Required by authority or law; obligatory or compulsory.
  2. Of, having the nature of or containing a mandate.
  3. Holding a League of Nations mandate over a territory.

Noun

  1. A mandatary.

Word family

  • mandatorily
  • nonmandatory

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press