Comando

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A specialized military unit engaged in unconventional warfare or tactical operations in various environments
2. A term used to refer to elite forces trained for high-intensity missions, often involving direct action and stealth
3. A group of soldiers selected for their skills in carrying out operations that require quick response and adaptability in challenging situations

Etymology: The English noun came into use in the 1940s, and its origin lies in Portuguese and Spanish. "Comando" is a Portuguese and Spanish word meaning "command" or "authority," from the verb "comandar," which derives from Latin "commendare," "to entrust," and this in turn has the sense "to commit to someone's keeping." The military sense of a unit under a commander's direction is what passed into English. The most surprising shift is that the English word did not start as a term for a special unit at all. In the 1800s, "commando" referred to a small group of Boer fighters in the South African War (1899–1902), who were organized as mobile units and operated under local commanders. British forces met these groups and, adopting the term, applied it to their own small raiding parties in the Second Boer War. The modern sense of an elite raiding force owes much to British commandos in the Second World War, who conducted fast, hard-hitting operations across occupied Europe and North Africa.

Synonyms: commando, soldier, raider, trooper, operative