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commander

Etymology and origin of the French word commander

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Inherited
First attested
10th century, Vie de saint Léger (comander)
Inherited from
Latin *commando
Ultimate origin
Latin (mandō)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /kɔ.mɑ̃.de/[1]

Forms

commander[1] Old French comander, cumander, Palsgrave records the 16th-century pronunciation coumander.[2][3]

Etymology

It is inherited from Vulgar Latin *commandare, a remaking after Latin mandō (“to entrust, enjoin”) of classical commendō (“to entrust; to recommend; to command”), from com- and “mandare”.[4][5][2][6][7][1][8] Classical “commendare” already meant “to give an order” from Caesar on.[6]

Cognate with Italian comandare, Catalan comanar and Spanish comandar.[3][9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The Vie de saint Léger (10th century) uses it both for entrusting someone or something to another and, with an infinitive, for ordering someone to do something.[4][5]

Semantic evolution

In the Chanson de Roland (about 1100) it means to order: Je vous cumant qu'en Saragoce aillez “I command you to go to Saragossa”.[3][7] The sense “to entrust, recommend” was lost in the 16th century and passed to recommander.[5][6]

Thierry (1564) has commander à ses passions, to master them, and Dupuys (1573) the military sense, to lead troops, Vaugelas (1653) uses it of a position that overlooks a place.[4][5] The commercial sense, to order goods, dates from 1675, reinforced by commande.[4][5]

Timeline

  • 10th century – “To entrust”, “to order”, Vie de saint Léger.[4]
  • c. 1100 – Je vous cumant, Chanson de Roland.[3]
  • 1564 – Commander à ses passions, Thierry.[4]
  • 1573 – To lead troops, Dupuys.[4]
  • 1653 – To overlook a place, Vaugelas.[4]
  • 1675 – To order goods, Savary.[4]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To command, order: commander à qqn de faire qqch.; to be in command of: commander un régiment.[10][1]
  2. To order (goods, a meal): commander un livre, commander un café.[4][1]
  3. Commander à: to control, master: commander à ses passions.[4][5]
  4. To call for, require: la prudence commande de….[7][10]
  5. To overlook (a place); (technical) to control, operate (a mechanism).[4][7]

Word family

  • commande
  • commandement
  • commandant
  • commandeur
  • décommander
  • recommander

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
  3. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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
  5. ^ a b c d e f Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
  6. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
  7. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
  8. ^ Wartburg, Walther von, et al. (1922–2002), Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch, 25 vols., Bonn / Leipzig / Basel: Klopp / Teubner / Zbinden, p. 2, 948a
  9. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  10. ^ a b Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Commander.” Etymologically, 18 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/fr/commander. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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