commando

Where does the word "commando" come from? It comes from Portuguese comando, passing through Afrikaans before entering English (1800s-1900s).

Commando’s story begins in Portuguese: comando meant “a command.” Meaning "a command" or "order". By 1700s-1800s, the word had taken hold in Afrikaans as kommando. Applied to a small mobile military unit in southern Africa. It reached English by 1800s-1900s as commando. Adopted during the Boer Wars, later used for elite soldiers. Today, commando means a soldier trained to carry out fast, aggressive raids.

1. Stage 1 · Portuguese · medieval comando "a command", meaning "a command" or "order".
2. Stage 2 · Afrikaans · 1700s-1800s kommando "a small mobile military unit", applied to a small mobile military unit in southern Africa.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1800s-1900s commando "a soldier trained for rapid raiding operations", adopted during the Boer Wars, later used for elite soldiers.