Commandeering

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The act of officially taking control of property or vehicles, usually by government or military order
2. Seizing possession or control of objects or resources by authority, often for public or emergency use
3. The process where an authority forcibly acquires equipment, land, or goods for official purposes

Etymology: "Commandeer" arrived in English in the late 19th century, borrowed during the South African War (the Anglo-Boer War, 1899–1902), when British and Boer forces both had to requisition horses, wagons and supplies. The word came from Dutch "commanderen," meaning "to command," and reached English partly through its South African descendant, Afrikaans "kommandeer." Boer commandos had seized farm animals and equipment in precisely this way, which is why the verb carries a flavour of improvised, forceful taking. Behind the Dutch lies a long line of meaning. It descends from French "commander," which came from Old French "comander" and ultimately from Latin "commendare," meaning "to entrust" or "to commit to someone's keeping." That original sense of handing something over to another's care is a striking distance from the modern act of grabbing it, yet the two ideas share a root in authority over things. "Commandeer" and "command" are doublets: two English words born from the same Latin source by separate routes, one through Old French and one through Dutch and Afrikaans.

Synonyms: seizing, taking over, expropriating

Antonyms: relinquishing, yielding