Etymology, Origin And Meaning Of Mandate By Etymonline

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Origin and history of mandate

mandate(n.)

c. 1500, "a command, a judicial or legal order," from French mandat (15c.) and directly from Latin mandatum "commission, command, order," noun use of neuter past participle of mandare "to order, commit to one's charge," literally "to give into one's hand," probably from manus "hand" (from PIE root *man- (2) "hand") + dare "to give" (from PIE root *do- "to give").

Political sense of "approval supposedly conferred by voters to the policies or slogans advocated by winners of an election" is from 1796. League of Nations sense "commission issued by the League authorizing a selected power to administer and develop a territory for a specified purpose" (also used of the territory so specified) is from 1919.

also from c. 1500

mandate(v.)

1620s, "to command," from mandate (n.). Meaning "to delegate authority, permit to act on behalf of a group" is from 1958; used earlier in the context of the League of Nations, "to authorize a power to control a certain territory for some specified purpose" (1919). Related: Mandated; mandating.

also from 1620s

Entries linking to mandate

command(v.)

c. 1300, "order or direct with authority" (transitive), from Old French comander "to order, enjoin, entrust" (12c., Modern French commander), 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.)). In this sense Old English had bebeodan.

Intransitive sense "act as or have authority of a commander, have or exercise supreme power" is from late 14c. Also from late 14c. as "have within the range of one's influence" (of resources, etc.), hence, via a military sense, "have a view of, overlook" in reference to elevated places (1690s). Related: Commanded; commanding.

Command-post "headquarters of a military unit" is from 1918. A command performance (1863) is one given by royal command.

commend(v.)

mid-14c., comenden, "praise, mention approvingly," from Latin commendare "to commit to the care or keeping (of someone), to entrust to; to commit to writing;" hence "to set off, render agreeable, praise," from com-, here perhaps an intensive prefix (see com-), + mandare "to commit to one's charge" (see mandate (n.)). A doublet of command.

Sense of "commit, deliver with confidence" in English is from late 14c. Meaning "bring to mind, send the greeting of" is from c. 1400. The "praise" sense is from the notion of "present as worthy of notice or regard;" also in some cases probably a shortening of recommend. Related: Commended; commending.

• countermand
• demand
• mandamus
• mandatary
• mandatory
• Maundy Thursday
• remand
• *do-
• *man-
• See All Related Words (11)

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Trends of mandate

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

More to explore

demandlate 14c., demaunden, "ask questions, make inquiry," from Old French demander (12c.) "to request; to demand," from Latin demandare "entrust, charge with a commission" (in Medieval Latin, "to ask, request, demand"), from de- "completely" (see de-) + mandare "to order" (see mandatemandamus"writ from a superior court to an inferior court or officer specifying that something be done by the persons addressed, as being within their office or duty," 1530s (late 14c. in Anglo-French), from Latin mandamus "we order" (opening word of the writ), first person plural presentremandmid-15c., remaunden, "to send (something) back," from Anglo-French remaunder, Old French remander "send for again" (12c.) or directly from Late Latin remandare "to send back word, repeat a command," from Latin re- "back" (see re-) + mandare "to consign, order, commit to one's chaPalestineRevived as an official political territorial name 1920 with the British mandate....In 1917 the country was conquered by British forces who held it under occupation until the mandate was established April...orderc. 1200, "body of persons living under a religious discipline," from Old French ordre "position, estate; rule, regulation; religious order" (11c.), from earlier ordene, from Latin ordinem (nominative ordo) "row, line, rank; series, pattern, arrangement, routine," originally "a rocommissionmid-14c., "authority entrusted to someone, delegated authority or power," from Old French commission and directly from Latin commissionem (nominative commissio) "act of committing," in Medieval Latin "delegation of business," noun of action from past participle stem of committeredelegatelate 15c., "person appointed and sent by another or others with power to transact business as a representative," from the past-participle adjective (early 15c.), from Old French delegat or directly from Latin delegatus, past participle of delegare "to send as a representative," fprescribemid-15c., prescriben, "to write down as a direction, law, or rule," from Latin praescribere "write before, prefix in writing; ordain, determine in advance," from prae "before" (see pre-) + scribere "to write" (from PIE root *skribh- "to cut"). Related: Prescribed; prescribing. Meinstrumentlate 13c., "musical instrument, mechanical apparatus for producing musical sounds," from Old French instrument, enstrument "means, device; musical instrument" (14c., earlier estrument, 13c.) and directly from Latin instrumentum "a tool, an implement; means, furtherance; apparatusdictate1590s, "to practice dictation, say aloud for another to write down," from Latin dictatus, past participle of dictare "say often, prescribe," frequentative of dicere "to say, speak" (from PIE root *deik- "to show," also "pronounce solemnly"). Sense of "to command, declare, or pres

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‘cite’Page URL:https://www.etymonline.com/word/mandateCopyHTML Link:<a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/mandate">Etymology of mandate by etymonline</a>CopyAPA Style:Harper, D. (n.d.). Etymology of mandate. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved January 8, 2026, from https://www.etymonline.com/word/mandateCopyChicago Style:Harper Douglas, "Etymology of mandate," Online Etymology Dictionary, accessed January 8, 2026, https://www.etymonline.com/word/mandate.CopyMLA Style:Harper, Douglas. "Etymology of mandate." Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/mandate. Accessed 8 January, 2026.CopyIEEE Style:D. Harper. "Etymology of mandate." Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/mandate (accessed January 8, 2026).CopyRemove AdsAdvertisement

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TrendingDictionary entries near mandate

• -mancy
• mandala
• mandamus
• mandarin
• mandatary
• mandate
• mandatory
• mandible
• mandibular
• Mandingo
• mandolin

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