English
commend
Commend comes from Middle English commenden ‘to recommend, commend or laud’, and goes back to Latin mandō ‘to commit, intrust, enjoin’.
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmandō1‘to commit, intrust, enjoin’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcommendō1‘commend, entrust to, commit, recommend’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400comender1
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500commenden1‘to recommend, commend or laud’
- Englishearliest quotation 1599commend1
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, English commend
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1599, The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar: “Commend me to my brother.”.
Lineage
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmandōWiktionary, English commend‘to commit, intrust, enjoin’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcommendōWiktionary, English commend‘commend, entrust to, commit, recommend’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400comenderWiktionary, English commend
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500commendenWiktionary, English commend‘to recommend, commend or laud’
- Englishearliest quotation 1599commendWiktionary, English commend. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1599, The Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar: “Commend me to my brother.”
A compound of manus ‘hand’ + dō ‘to put’
Proto-Indo-European *(s)meh₂- ‘to beckon’
Proto-Italic *manus ‘hand’
Latin manus ‘hand’
Proto-Indo-European *deh₃- ‘give’
Proto-Indo-European *dédeh₃ti ‘to be giving’
Proto-Italic *didō ‘to give’
Latin dō ‘to put’
Linked words
through Latin mandō ‘to commit, intrust, enjoin’
mandatory, mandate, manger, mandible, mange, mandibular, commandery, 10 more
through Latin commendō ‘commend, entrust to, commit, recommend’
commander, commodore, commando, commandant, commandment, commandeer, 4 more
Today it means
verb To congratulate or reward.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “commend”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Latin mandō / commend