commander English · revision 4856

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=a. 1300|origins=fro comandeor}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /kəˈmɑːn.də/, US /kəˈmæn.dɚ/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[inh|enm|comandour]], [[bor|fro|comandeor|t=commander, commandant]],^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) from comander “to order, enjoin”,^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) from [[la-lat|commandāre|t=to command]].^(NODE 1998) It is related to [[command]], [[commando]] and [[mandate]].^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ One who has control of something, and a ruler or leader: before 1300 in the OED;^(OED 1989) one who has authority to command, the early 14th century in Etymonline.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ One who orders anything is from about 1386.^(OED 1989) The commander of a ship is from about 1450,^(OED 1989) and in the British and American navies the title of an officer ranking below a captain.^(OED 1989)^(AHD) The officer in command of a military force is from 1598.^(OED 1989) In the medieval military orders, such as the Knights Hospitallers, a commander held a commandery (1611),^(OED 1989) and members of the higher classes of some modern orders of knighthood are commanders (1846).^(OED 1989) ''Commander in chief'' is from the 1650s;^(Etymonline) in the United States it is, by the Constitution, the president, and George Washington was so called by 1778.^(Etymonline) A large wooden mallet used by paviours was also a commander (1573).^(OED 1989)^(Wright 1898)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * a. 1300 – a ruler or leader.^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1450 – the commander of a ship.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1573 – a wooden mallet.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1598 – the commander of a military force.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1650s – ''commander in chief''.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1846 – a rank in an order of knighthood.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A person in charge of something, especially an officer in command of a military unit.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # An officer in the [[navy]] ranking above a lieutenant commander and below a [[captain]].^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A member of a higher class in some orders of knighthood.^(AHD)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[commandership]]

+ * [[subcommander]]

+ * [[undercommander]]

+ * [[commander in chief]]

+ * [[wing commander]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[commandery]]

+ * [[command]]

+ * [[commando]]

+ * [[mandate]]

+ * [[commandant]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}