Etymograph

English

mandatory

Mandatory comes from Late Latin mandatorius ‘of or belonging to a mandator’, from mandātor ‘one who commands’, and ultimately from Latin mandō.

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmandō1
  2. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEmandātor2‘one who commands’
  3. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEmandatorius2‘of or belonging to a mandator’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1999mandatory2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin mandator
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English mandatory
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1999, Ian Stewart, Jack Cohen: “This kind of immediate control structure we take to…”.

Earlier history not traced here. See Wiktionary.

Lineage

  1. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEmandōWiktionary, Latin mandator
  2. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEmandātorWiktionary, English mandatory‘one who commands’
  3. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEmandatoriusWiktionary, English mandatory‘of or belonging to a mandator’
  4. Englishearliest quotation 1999mandatoryWiktionary, English mandatory. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1999, Ian Stewart, Jack Cohen: “This kind of immediate control structure we take to…”

Linked words

through Latin mandō

commander, commodore, commend, commando, commandment, commandant, manger, mandible, mange, mandibular, commandeer, 12 more

Today it means

adj obligatory; required or commanded by authority.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “mandatory”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin mandator. 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 / mandatory

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