command 
as, General Smith was placet! in rommnnil. 4. 
The act of commanding; exercise of authority 
or influence. 
As there i no prohibition of it, HO no command for it. 
Jer. '/'"<//'" . 
Command cannot ' otherwise titan savage, for It Im- 
plies an ;i|'pciil In I'lHve, f,holllil force he needful. 
//. ,S/'iv/-, Social Static*, p. 180. 
6. The thin),; commanded or ordered ; a com- 
mandment; u mandate; an order; word of com- 
UlUll'l. 
The captain e.hc^ -i>nuniinil. Dryden. 
6. A body of troops, or any naval or military 
force, under the control of a particular officer. 
I'lea.M- vim to inarch ; 
Anil foni- shall quickly draw out my <viwimui</. 
.V/in*., Cor., I. fl. 
I'.nlill, x small niniiiiililil, less tha 1C thousand men, 
after u severe cimtcst, "as unnlnally forced back. 
Tin' (',(,;/, XXXIII. 131. 
7. Dominating situation; range of control or 
oversight; hence, extent of view or outlook. 
The sleepy .-tain! 
Whlrh overlook* the vale with with- fo/ri/iinnd. 
Drjiitrn, /Kiici,!. 
8. In furl., tho height of the top of a parapet 
above the plane of its site, or above another 
work. 
ih' commantl, or In iuht of the parapet above the site, 
has a very important hearing in the defence of permanent 
works. Mahan, Permanent Fortification*, p. 0. 
To be at one's command, to l>c t one's service or bid- 
ilin^' : be subject to one's orders or control. Word Of 
command (milit.), (lie word or phra.se addressed by a 
suiwrior officer to soliliers on duty commanding what they 
are to do : as, at the tmrd of com ma ml the troops charged. 
= Syn. 1 and 2. Sway, rule, authority. 8. Injunction, 
charge, direction, behest, bidding, requisition. 
commandable (ko-man'da-bl), o. [< eommiintl 
f -able.] Capable of being commanded. N. 
Ci'/ir. [Rare.] 
commandancy-general (ko-man'dan-si-jen'e- 
riili . [After &i>.cotandancia general: coman- 
tlancia, tho office of a commander, the district 
of a commander (= OF. comandancc, command), 
< comandantc, a commander; general = E. gen- 
eral: see commandant and general.] The office 
or jurisdiction of a governor or commander- 
general of a Spanish province or colony. 
commandant (kom-an-danf), M. [= D. G. Dan. 
Sw. kniHinaHilant, < F. commandant (= 8p. It. 
comandaiite = Pg. commandante), n., orig. ppr. 
of commander, command : see command, v.] A 
commander; especially, a commanding officer 
of a fortified town or garrison. 
Perceiving then no more the commandant 
Of his own corps. Byron, Don Juan, vill. 31. 
The murder of commandantt in the view of their sol- 
diers. Burke, 
commandatoryt (ko-man'da-to-ri), a. [< ML. 
*conimaitdatorii<s, commendatorius, < comman- 
datus, commendatiis, pp. of commandare, com- 
mendare, command : see command, v. Cf. com- 
mendatory.] Having the force of command; 
mandatory. 
How coin nut ndatory the apostolic authority was, is best 
discernible by the Apostle's mandates unto the churches. 
Bp. Morton, Episcopacy Asserted, p. 73. 
commandedness (ko-man'ded-nes), n. The 
state of being commanded. Hammond. 
commander (ko-mau'der), n. [< ME. commaun- 
<foc = Dan. kommandiir, < OF. commandeor, F. 
commaitdeur = Pr. comandaire, comandador = 
Sp. comendador = Pg. commendador = It. com- 
mendatore, < ML. "commandator, commendator, 
< commandatus, commendatiis, pp. of comman- 
dare, commendare, command (see command, v.) ; 
in mod. E. as if < command + -er 1 . Cf. commo- 
dore.] 1. One who has the authority or power 
to command or order; especially, a military 
leader; the chief officer of an army or of any 
division of it. 
I have given him for ... a leader and commander to 
the people. Isa. Iv. 4. 
The Romans, when commanders in war, spake to their 
army and styled them, MySoldiers. Bacon, Apophthegms. 
Hence 2. One who has control, in any sense. 
[Bare.] 
Were we not made ourselves, free, uuconfln'd, 
Commander! of our own affections? 
Beau, and Ft., Woman-Hater, ill. 1. 
Specifically 3. In the British and United 
States navies, an officer next in rank below a 
captain and above a lieutenant or a lieutenant- 
commander, lie may command a vessel of the third 
or fourth class, or may be employed as chief of staff to 
a commodore on duty under a bureau, as aid to a flag-offi- 
cer, etc. In the navy of the United States the commander 
ranks with a lieutenant-colonel in the army. Often, as a 
title, abbreviated Com. 
4. (a) The chief officer of a commandery in the 
medieval orders of Knights Hospitallers, Tem- 
1 1L'.-, 
plans etc. See fiiniHiiiiilirii. !_' i ' I . i '< I A similar 
pfficerin certain secret orders. M- in the Amer- 
ican order of Knights Templars. (<) A mem- 
ber of a higher class in a modern honorary or- 
der. When- tin-re an- tin- cla-.-e,.lhi- command. 
UM third ID dignity ; *vherc there uv time, thej u 
crally the second : an, a >'>,, nnnn-i' < nf the I'.afh. 
5. A heavy beetle or wooden mallet u-e.l m 
paving, or by sailmakers and riggers. 
Ills gang . . . stood in line uith huge <H,.|CM b. ,tic- 
callcil <"!,< ,/<>in<t'T.<, ali-l lillctl tin in blub an-1 hl,imht 
them down . . . wlthtruenaulii.il ]><> i ami pr. i I-I..IL 
,h. \ii 
6. In surg., a box or cradle for incasing an in- 
jured limb. 7. In hnt-ninkiiiii, a .string which 
18 pressed down over a conical hat while it is 
on the block, to bring it to the required cylin- 
drical form. 8. In iiicdirral fort., same as 
earalirr, f>. 
I'l'hey laid) another (battery] against the K. p.- >.t Vn 
druzzi with two rninmantlers, or caualier*, which were 
abonc with one fort of eletien other pii 
/lalrluiil'n I'ntiaiia, II. Ii2. 
Commander of the Faithful < \ i a i . i 
a title adopteil by the culif llmar. anil iKirne by the sin - 
cceiliiiK califs ami the Miit.tns ( ,f i .in-tantitiople. Grand 
commander. () The chief tlscal ottlcer of the order ..I 
Malta or of Knights Hospitaller*, etc. (ft) A memhi T i.i 
the highest class, or one of the highest classes, of some 
modem honorary orders. See onler. = Syn. 1. / 
Ilrail, etc. ScciAi,!. 
commander-in-chief (ko-man'der-in-chef), . 
1. The commander of all the armies of a state 
or nation ; the chief military commander. () in 
Oreat Britain, the highest statf-offlcer of the army. (6) 
In the I'nited States, the President, who i vested with 
this authority, both in the army anil in the navy, by the 
Constitution. The title, however, is often unofficially 
applied to the general officer holding the highest actual 
rank In the army (now that of senior major-general), and 
hence having the general supervision of Its organization 
and movements. 
2. In the navy, a flag-officer commanding an 
independent fleet or squadron. 
commandership (ko-man'der-ship), n. [< com- 
mander + -ship.] The office of a commander. 
commandery (ko-man'der-i), n. ; pi. commmi- 
deries(-iz). [AlaoeontT.comniamlry; < F.rom- 
manderie (ML. commanderia), < eommaiidi-r. 
command: see command, v., and -cry.] 1. The 
office or dignity of a commander. 2. A district 
under the authority or administration of a com- 
mander. (<i) A district under the authority of a military 
commander or a governor. 
The country Is divided into four commamlerifti under 
so many governors. Brougham. 
To the elector of Baden [are ceded] the Brisgau and the 
Ortenau, the city of Constance, and the comiMndery ot 
\l cinaii. ir, i. ,/,/. Introd. to Inter. Law, p. 401. 
(6) Among several medieval orders of knighU, as the Tem- 
plars, Hospitallers, etc., a district under the control of a 
member of the order, called acommanderor preceptor.who 
received the Income of the estates belonging to the knights 
within that district, and expended part for his own use 
and accounted for the rest: in England more esi>ecially 
applied to a manor l>elonging to the priory of the Knights 
Hospitallers, or KnighUof St. John of Jerusalem. Hence 
(c) A similar territorial district, or a lodge, in certain 
secret orders, as in the American order of Knights Tem- 
plars. (</) In certain religious orders, as those of St. Ber- 
nard and St. Anthony, the district underthe authority of 
a dignitary called a commander. 
3. A house, technically called a cell, in which 
the demain-rents of a medieval commandery 
were received, and which also served as a home 
for veteran members of the order. It was some- 
times fortified, and occasionally formed an ex- 
tensive and formidable stronghold. 
commanding (ko-man'ding), p. a. [Ppr. of 
command, r.l 1. Directing with authority; 
ith 
invested with authority; governing; bearing 
rule; exercising authority: as, a commanding 
commata 
5. Imperious ; domineering. Commanding 
cards. M 
commandingly (kg-min'ding-li), ndr. In a 
commanding manner; )K)werfnlly. 
1'arliam. man ni.ni..naN |itonii-iiif <i much int. 
that, let them IK- ticutcil in what manner they may, i 
for the Hllbjet (', the) an .'(ten 
-1)1.-, i 
commanditaire (kom-moii-di-tar'), . [F., < 
i-nmniiinititi , a partnership: see i-uniiiiiiiiititi . ] 
In France, ;i silent partner in a joint-stock 
company, who is liable only to the extent of 
the capital ho invests; a partner in a limited- 
liability company. 
commandite (kom-mon-det'), . fF., irreg. < 
rnitiiiiiiitilti; in sens.- of commend, intr 
A partnership in which one may advance capi- 
tal without taking an active part in the man- 
agement of the business, and be exempt from 
i . -ponsibility for more than a certain amount ; 
limited liability; a special partnership. /. '. 
ma. 
commandlesst (ko-mand'len), a. [Irreg. < com- 
mand, r., + -leg*.] Ungoverned; ungovernable. 
That their rnunaiiHdle**e furies might he staid. 
Ueywoori, Trola Britannic* (1000). 
commandment (ko-mand'ment), M. [< ME. 
nun niaiidcni fitt, ciimandciiifHt, < <)!'. coinmiinili- 
mitit, fininiinli mi nl, F. i-'iiiiniiiiii/iiilint = I'r. 
comandamcn = < >Sp. minaintiiiiin nt<> I'g. CIIHI- 
mandamento = It. comandamento, < ML. *com- 
Hianilitiiti nlinii, i-iiiiiiiniliiiiii'iitiim, cum mi'iiilii m< n- 
tiim, < eommaiiiliii-r , i-niiiinrndarc, command: gee 
mniiiiiiiid, i\. and -nit'iit.] 1. A command; a 
mandate ; an order or injunction given by au- 
thority; a charge; an authoritative precept. 
The! dide his niiiiniimlmcnt,Ht\ lepe to horse. 
Merlin (E. E. T. 8.), 1L 2SB. 
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one 
another. John xliL S4. 
To good men thon art sent, 
By Jove's direct commandeinent. 
B. Jonton, Love Restored. 
Specifically 2. Any one of tho ten injunctions. 
engraved upon tables of stone, delivered to 
Moses on Mount Sinai, according to the ac- 
count in Exodus. See decalogue. 
Thou knowest the commandment*, Do not commit 
adultery, Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not bear false wit- 
ness, Honour thy father and thy mother. Luke xvill. 20. 
3. Authority ; command ; power of command- 
ing. 
I thought that all things had u-en savage here; 
And therefore put I on the countenance 
Of stern cvmwamlinent. Shak., As you I.Ike it, ii. 7. 
4. In old EHIJ. law, the offense of instigating 
another to transgress the law. Ten command- 
ments. (> The decalogue. (6) The ten lingers. [Slang. | 
Could I come near your beauty with my nails, 
I'd set my ten commandments in your face. 
Slialr., -2 Hen. VI., t S. 
('> The lines In an apple extending from the stem through 
the pulp. IColloq.) 
commando (ko-man'do), . [= D. Dan. Sw. 
kommando, lit. a command, < Sp. comando = Pg. 
commando = It. comando, command : see com- 
mand, i.] A military expedition or raid under- 
taken by private individuals for personal ends; 
more specifically, the name given to the quasi- 
military expeditions undertaken by the Boers 
and English farmers of South Africa against 
the natives. 
If the natives objected, a commando soon settled the 
matter. A commamlo was merely a new name for an old 
thing. It was war without any of the usages or restraint! 
of war. Good Word*. 
commandresst (ko-man'dres), n. [< commander 
~ - + -ens, after OF. eommanileremit.] A woman in- 
officer. 2. Of great or controlling importance ; vested with supreme authority ; a female corn- 
powerful; paramount: as, commanding infill- nmnder. 
To prescribe the order of doing in all things, Is a pecu- 
liar prerogative which Wisdom hath, as queen or sovereign 
commandrejs over other virtues. 
Hooker, Eccles. Polity, v. 8. 
Fortune, the great comtnandre** of the world. 
Chapman, All Fools, v. 1. 
Let me adore this second Hecate, 
This great commandress of the fatal sisters. 
Bean, and Fl., Custom of the Country, v. 2. 
commandry (ko-man'dri), n. A contracted 
form of commandery. 
commarkt (kom'ark), n. [< OF. comarque, < 
ML. commarca, comarcha, cummarcliia, < com- + 
marca, marcha, a march, boundary: see march? 
and mark 1 .] The frontier of a country. 
ence. 
In the sixteenth, and to a certain degree in the seven- 
teenth century, Protestantism exercised a commanding 
and controlling influence over the affairs of Europe. 
Lecky, Rationalism, I. 185. 
The political economy of war is now one of its most 
commanding aspects. Gladstone, Might of Right, p. 150. 
We can 111 spare the commanding social benefit of cities. 
Emerson, Conduct of Life. 
3. Dominating; overlooking a wide region with- 
out obstruction: as, a commanding eminence. 
4. Pertaining to or characteristic of a comman- 
der, or of one born or fitted to command ; char- 
acterized by great dignity ; compelling respect. 
deference, obedience, etc. : as, a man of com- 
ma tiding address; commanding eloquence. 
Is this a commanding shape to win a beauty? 
Fletcher, Spanish Curate, II. 1. 
He was advanced in life, tall, and of a form that might 
once have been commanding, but ft was a little bowed M 
time perhaps by care, Irving, Sketch-Book, p. i'>. 
The commark of s. Lucar's. 
Shelton, tr. of Don Quixote, I. i 
commassee (ko-mas'e), n. A coin, chiefly cop- 
per, current in Arabia at the rate of from 40 
to 60 to a United States dollar. 
commata, . Latin plural of comma, 1 and 2. 
