'Command' is Latin for 'put into the hand' — authority delivered with force, from 'manus' (hand).
Definition
An authoritative order; the power or authority to giveorders; to direct with authority; to have control or authority over.
The Full Story
Latin13th centurywell-attested
From Old French 'comander' (to order, to entrust), from Late Latin 'commandare' (to commend, to entrust formally), an intensified form of Latin 'mandare' (to commit to one's charge, to order, to enjoin), built from 'manus' (hand) + 'dare' (to give). The PIE roots are *man- (hand) and *deh3- (to give). A command is etymologically a 'giving into the hands of' — authority entrusted by gesture and word together. The prefix 'com-' (together, completely) intensifies the mandate
Did you know?
The word 'commando' entered English from Afrikaans during the Boer War (1899-1902), where it described Boer raidingunits. It tracesthrough Portuguese 'comando' back to the same Latin 'commandāre.' The Ten Commandments are literally 'the ten thingsplaced in your hand' — divine