Comandant

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A leader or officer in charge of a military unit or operation
2. a commanding officer in a specific context of authority or jurisdiction
3. a person responsible for directing a group or organization, often in a strategic capacity

Etymology: "Comandant" is a variant spelling of "commandant," and the story behind it is mostly a matter of French passing a Latin verb into English. The root is Latin "commendare," meaning to entrust or put in charge, built from "com-" (together, thoroughly) and "mandare" (to order or commit). That verb gave Old French "comander," which produced the agent noun "comandant," one who has command. English borrowed the word in the 1600s, during the period when French military vocabulary flooded in. Its meaning stayed close to the military core, with "commandant" naming the officer in charge of a fort, garrison, camp, or training institution rather than an army as a whole. The spelling with one "m" is a less common variant; the form with two "m"s, "commandant," is the standard English spelling, and the single-"m" version appears mostly in older or non-standard writing.

Synonyms: commander, chief, leader, captain, officer

Antonyms: subordinate, follower, private, civilian, enlisted