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commandant

Etymology and origin of the French word commandant

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1661, Corneille, Sertorius
Ultimate origin
Latin (mandō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /kɔ.mɑ̃.dɑ̃/[1]

Forms

commandant m (plural commandants, feminine commandante); adjective commandant, commandante[1][2]

Etymology

It is the present participle of commander used as a noun.[3][4][2][1] That verb continues Vulgar Latin *commandō, a remaking of commendō (“to entrust, commend”) after mandō (“to hand over, order”); since Caesar the Latin verb had also meant “to give an order”.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Corneille's Sertorius (1661) uses it for the head of a party.[3][4]

Semantic evolution

Pomey (1671) records it for anyone holding a command in an army, commandant du régiment is in the Cardinal de Retz (1679) and commandant en chef in 1757.[3] The strictly military sense of commander dates from 1573.[5] Bescherelle (1845) has it for the rank between captain and lieutenant colonel and for the officer in command of a ship.[6] As an adjective, “commanding”, it is in Molière (1670).[6]

English took commandant in the 1680s for the commanding officer of a fortified town or garrison.[7]

Timeline

  • 1661 – “Head of a party”, Corneille.[3]
  • 1670 – The adjective, Molière.[6]
  • 1671 – Military commander, Pomey.[3]
  • 1680s – English commandant.[7]
  • 1757 – Commandant en chef.[3]
  • 1845 – The rank of major; commander of a ship, Bescherelle.[6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A military commander: commandant de place, commandant en chef.[2][6]
  2. A major, the officer between captain and lieutenant colonel (four stripes).[2][1]
  3. The officer commanding a ship, whatever his rank, commandant de bord, the captain of an aircraft.[2][6]

Adjective

  1. (familiar) bossy, fond of giving orders, (rare) commanding.[2][6]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d e f Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
  4. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  5. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  7. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
Cite this entry

“Commandant.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/commandant. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·