commendo

Pronunciation

• IPA (Classical): [kɔmˈmɛn.doː]^[1]
• IPA (Ecclesiastical): [komˈmɛn.do]^[1]

Forms

commendō (present infinitive commendāre, perfect active commendāvī, supine commendātum); first conjugation^[1]

Etymology

It is from Latin con- + mandō (“to entrust”).^[2][3][4] Etymonline suggests com- is an intensive here.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Plautus has a character complain that he had no one to entrust a goat to.^[2] Köbler dates Plautus c. 250–184 BC.^[5]

Semantic evolution

It meant to give something in trust or for safekeeping, and to commit a person or state to someone's protection or instruction.^[2][6] Figuratively it meant to commit to writing, to memory or to posterity, as Cicero speaks of entrusting one's name to immortality.^[7][2] It also meant to bring to someone's favourable notice, to recommend, often of candidates for office, and of qualities to make attractive, as when Cicero says nothing commends an orator more than one thing.^[2] Ulpian uses it of pointing out a guardian as suspect.^[2]

In medieval Latin it kept the senses to entrust and to hand over, also in education.^[8] A Vulgar Latin form *commandāre gave French commander and Italian comandare, and so English command, while English commend is from Latin directly.^[4][1]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of entrusting a goat.^[2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of commending names and persons.^[7][2][5]
• c. 1300 – English command is recorded, from Old French.^[4]
• mid-14th century – English commend is recorded.^[4]

Meanings

Verb

1. To entrust, deposit for safekeeping.^[2][1]
2. To commit to someone's care or protection.^[2][6]
3. To commit to writing, memory or posterity.^[2]
4. To recommend; to recommend a candidate.^[2][1]
5. To make attractive, commend.^[2]
6. To point out, designate.^[2]

Word family

• commendābilis
• commendātīcius
• commendātiō
• commendatiuus
• commendātor
• commendātrīx
• incommendātus

Related words

• commandō
• mandō
• English command
• English commend

References

1. ^ a b c d e f Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
8. ^ Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften