Commendatory

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. expressing praise or approval in a formal or official manner
2. Expressing formal endorsement or approval that highlights recognition of someone's merits or accomplishments
3. Showing recognition or admiration for someone's qualities or achievements in a positive way

Etymology: "Commendatory" is built from "commend" plus the suffix "-atory," and the chain behind it runs through Latin. The verb "commend" came into English from Latin "commendare," meaning to entrust or to recommend, from "com-" (together, thoroughly) and "mandare" (to commit or order). That original sense of handing something over into someone's keeping still lingers in the verb's older uses, where a person might be commended to God's care. The suffix "-atory" descends from Latin "-atorius," a Latin adjective-forming ending that marked something serving to perform an action. English borrowed the ending as "-atory," so "commendatory" took on the sense of something that serves to commend. A letter of commendation, for example, is one that puts its writer's approval behind someone.