c.1300, from Old French comander "to order, enjoin, entrust" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *commandare, from Latin commendare "to recommend, entrust to" (see commend), altered by influence of Latin mandare "to commit, entrust" (see mandate (n.)). Replaced Old English bebeodan. Related: Commanded; commanding.
c.1400, "order, command," from Old French comand (14c.), from comander (see command (v.)). Meaning "control, authority" is from mid-15c.
operating system
A character string which tells a program to perform a specific action. Most commands take arguments which either modify the action performed or supply it with input. Commands may be typed by the user or read from a file by a command interpreter. It is also common to refer to menu items as commands.
(1997-06-21)