comandament

Forms

comandament n (plural comandamente)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French commandement, as DEX, MDA2, DELR, Tiktin and Scriban agree.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} DN compares Italian comandamento as well.^[7] DELR lists the word in the family of the verb comanda, and Wiktionary notes that it can also be analysed as that verb with the suffix -ment.^[4][1]

The French word is first recorded in the 11th century as Old French comandement, formed commander (“to order”) with the suffix -ment.^[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

DELR's first record is in the periodical Zimbrul in 1856, in the variant comandamânt.^[4] Tiktin dates the word to 1862 and gives two early senses: the legal comandament prealabil, a demand for payment served on a mortgage debtor before a forced sale, and the headquarters of an army corps.^[5] MDA2's first record is the Monitorul oficial of 1907.^[3]

Semantic evolution

Early dictionaries list a short military order for a movement, the authority of the one who commands, and an army corps with its administration.^[8][9] Șăineanu notes that the Romanian army was divided into seven corps or comandamente, seated in Bucharest, Craiova, Galați, Iași, Constanța, Sibiu and Cluj.^[8] Scriban also gives the sense “law, precept”, as in comandamentele lui Dumnezeu “the commandments of God”.^[6]

The modern dictionaries keep the command body of a large military unit and the place where it sits, the phrase comandament suprem “supreme command” for the top command in wartime, the figurative “precept, rule” and the legal sense.^[2][3] The order sense, which Scriban already called rarer than comandă, is no longer listed by DEX.^[6][2]

Timeline

• 1856 – comandamânt in the periodical Zimbrul, the first record.^[4]
• 1862 – comandament prealabil “preliminary demand for payment” and “army corps headquarters”.^[5]
• 1907 – in the Monitorul oficial, MDA2's first record.^[3]
• 1929 – the army's seven corps called comandamente.^[8]
• 1939 – Scriban records comandamentele lui Dumnezeu “God's commandments”.^[6]

Meanings

Noun

1. The command body of a (large) military unit or institution;^[2][3] comandament suprem: the highest command of a state's army, or of an alliance, in wartime.^[2][3]
2. The place where such a command is set up, a headquarters.^[2][10]
3. (figurative) A precept, rule or norm.^[2][3]
4. (law) The act that begins the forced sale of a debtor's real estate; formerly comandament prealabil.^[2][3]

Related words

• comanda
• comandă
• comandant
• French commandement

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h DEX (2009), Dicționarul explicativ al limbii române [Explanatory dictionary of the Romanian language], Bucharest: Editura Univers Enciclopedic, p. 208
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2010), Micul dicționar academic, 2nd ed., 4 vols., București: Univers Enciclopedic Gold, p. 1, 466
4. ^ a b c d Academia Română, Institutul de Lingvistică „Iorgu Iordan – Al. Rosetti” (2011–), Dicționarul etimologic al limbii române (DELR), vol. I: A–B (2011), vol. II: C (2015–2018), București: Editura Academiei Române; continued online at delr.lingv.ro, p. s.v. comanda
5. ^ a b c Tiktin, Hariton (2000–2005), Rumänisch-deutsches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., revised by Paul Miron and Elsa Lüder, 3 vols., Cluj-Napoca: Clusium, p. s.v. comandament
6. ^ a b c d Scriban, August (1939), Dicționaru limbii românești (etimologii, înțelesuri, exemple, citațiuni, arhaizme, neologizme, provincializme), Iași: Presa Bună, p. 319
7. ^ Marcu, Florin; Maneca, Constant (1986), Dicționar de neologisme, 3rd ed., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Socialiste România, p. s.v. comandament
8. ^ a b c Șăineanu, Lazăr (1929), Dicționar universal al limbei române, 6th ed., Craiova: Scrisul Românesc, p. 150
9. ^ Candrea, I.-A.; Adamescu, Gh. (1926–1931), Dicționarul enciclopedic ilustrat „Cartea Românească”, București: Cartea Românească, p. s.v. comandament
10. ^ Macrea, Dimitrie; Petrovici, Emil (coord.) (1955–1957), Dicționarul limbii romîne literare contemporane, 4 vols., București: Editura Academiei Republicii Populare Romîne, p. 1, 497