Standard Lemma guide

commandment

noun · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /kəˈmɑːndmənt/
  • General-American: /kəˈmændmənt/
  • obsolete: /kəˈmændɪmənt/
  • obsolete: /kəˈmændɪˌmɛnt/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: K AH0 M AE1 N D M AH0 N T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A divinely ordained command, especially one of the Ten Commandments.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: lifestyle, religion

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

Something that must be obeyed; a command or edict.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic, countable, humorous, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The offence of commanding or inducing another to violate the law.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: law

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The act of commanding; exercise of authority.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, obsolete, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

Any of the Ten Commandments.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

a doctrine that is taught

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the teachings of religion
  • he believed all the Christian precepts

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: teaching, precept

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: doctrine, philosophy, philosophical system, school of thought, ism

Narrower terms: Golden Rule, mitzvah, mitsvah

7

noun

Meaning 7

something that is commanded

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: command, bid, bidding, dictation

Narrower terms: Decalogue, Ten Commandments

History

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English comaundement, from Old French comandement, from comander. See command.

Across languages

Translations

117 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: urdhëresë — a command or edict
  • Arabic: وَصِيَّة (waṣiyya) — a command or edict
  • Armenian: պատվիրան (patviran) — a command or edict
  • Azerbaijani: əmr — a command or edict
  • Azerbaijani: buyruq — a command or edict
  • Azerbaijani: fərman — a command or edict
  • Bashkir: шарт (şart) — a command or edict
  • Belarusian: за́паведзь (zápavjedzʹ) — a command or edict
  • Bulgarian: за́повед (zápoved) — a command or edict
  • Bulgarian: декре́т (dekrét) — a command or edict
  • Burmese: ပညတ်တော် (pa.nyattau) — a command or edict
  • Burmese: ပညတ်ချက် (pa.nyathkyak) — a command or edict
  • Catalan: manament — a command or edict
  • Chinese Mandarin: 戒律 (jièlǜ) — a command or edict
  • Chinese Mandarin: 戒 (jiè) — a command or edict
  • Chinese Mandarin: 誡命 /诫命 (jièmìng) — a command or edict
  • Ngazidja Comorian: amrisho — a command or edict
  • Czech: přikázání — a command or edict
  • Danish: bud — a command or edict
  • Dutch: gebod — a command or edict
  • Estonian: käsk — a command or edict
  • Faroese: boð — a command or edict
  • Finnish: määräys — a command or edict
  • French: commandement — a command or edict
  • Galician: mandamento — a command or edict
  • Galician: aprémeo — a command or edict
  • Galician: preceito — a command or edict
  • Georgian: მცნება (mcneba) — a command or edict
  • German: Gebot — a command or edict
  • Gothic: 𐌰𐌽𐌰𐌱𐌿𐍃𐌽𐍃 (anabūsns) — a command or edict
  • Greek: εντολή (entolí) — a command or edict
  • Hebrew: מצווה \ מִצְוָה (mitsvá) — a command or edict
  • Hindi: आज्ञा (ājñā) — a command or edict
  • Hindi: धर्मादेश (dharmādeś) — a command or edict
  • Hindi: फ़रमान (farmān) — a command or edict
  • Hungarian: parancsolat — a command or edict
  • Hungarian: parancs — a command or edict
  • Icelandic: boðorð — a command or edict
  • Indonesian: titah — a command or edict
  • Indonesian: firman — a command or edict
  • Indonesian: rukun — a command or edict
  • Italian: comandamento — a command or edict
  • Japanese: 戒律 (kairitsu) — a command or edict
  • Japanese: 戒 (kai) — a command or edict
  • Kazakh: парыз (paryz) — a command or edict
  • Kazakh: уағыз (uağyz) — a command or edict
  • Khmer: បញ្ញត្តិ (baññat) — a command or edict
  • Korean: 계명 (gyemyeong) — a command or edict
  • Northern Kurdish: ferman — a command or edict
  • Northern Kurdish: raspêrî — a command or edict
  • Kyrgyz: парыз (parız) — a command or edict
  • Lao: ບັນຍັດ (ban nyat) — a command or edict
  • Lao: ສິກຂາບົດ (sik khā bot) — a command or edict
  • Lao: ສິນ (sin) — a command or edict
  • Latin: praeceptum — a command or edict
  • Latvian: bauslis — a command or edict
  • Lithuanian: įsakymas — a command or edict
  • Macedonian: заповед (zapoved) — a command or edict
  • Malay: rukun — a command or edict
  • Maltese: kmandament — a command or edict
  • Middle English: comaundement — a command or edict
  • Middle English: maundement — a command or edict
  • Middle English: bodeword — a command or edict
  • Norwegian Bokmål: bud — a command or edict
  • Occitan: comandament — a command or edict
  • Ojibwe: aangwaamitaagoziwin — a command or edict
  • Church Slavic: заповѣдь (zapovědĭ) — a command or edict
  • Palauan: llach — a command or edict
  • Pali: sikkhāpada — a command or edict
  • Pashto: امر (amr, amᶕr) — a command or edict
  • Pashto: حکم (hokm) — a command or edict
  • Pashto: فرمان (farmãn) — a command or edict
  • Persian: فرمان (farmân) — a command or edict
  • Plautdietsch: Jeboot — a command or edict
  • Polish: przykazanie — a command or edict
  • Portuguese: mandamento — a command or edict
  • Romanian: comandament — a command or edict
  • Romanian: poruncă — a command or edict
  • Russian: за́поведь (zápovedʹ) — a command or edict
  • Serbo-Croatian: заповед — a command or edict
  • Serbo-Croatian: заповијед — a command or edict
  • Serbo-Croatian: заповест — a command or edict
  • Serbo-Croatian: zapoved — a command or edict
  • Serbo-Croatian: zapovijed — a command or edict
  • Serbo-Croatian: zapovest — a command or edict
  • Slovak: prikázanie — a command or edict
  • Slovene: zapoved — a command or edict
  • Spanish: mandamiento — a command or edict
  • Spanish: comandamiento — a command or edict
  • Swahili: kanuni — a command or edict
  • Swedish: budord — a command or edict
  • Swedish: bud — a command or edict
  • Tajik: фармон (farmon) — a command or edict
  • Tajik: амр (amr) — a command or edict
  • Tajik: амри динӣ (amr-i dini) — a command or edict
  • Tatar: әмер (ämer) — a command or edict
  • Thai: บัญญัติ (ban-yàt) — a command or edict
  • Thai: ประกาศิต (bprà-gaa-sìt) — a command or edict
  • Thai: ศีล (sǐin) — a command or edict
  • Tocharian B: yaitkor — a command or edict
  • Turkish: emir — a command or edict
  • Turkish: buyruk — a command or edict
  • Turkish: buyrultu — a command or edict
  • Turkish: ferman — a command or edict
  • Turkish: yarlık — a command or edict
  • Turkmen: buýruk — a command or edict
  • Turkmen: emir — a command or edict
  • Ukrainian: за́повідь (zápovidʹ) — a command or edict
  • Urdu: حکم (hukam, hukm) — a command or edict
  • Urdu: فرمان (farmān) — a command or edict
  • Uyghur: بۇيرۇق (buyruq) — a command or edict
  • Uzbek: amr — a command or edict
  • Uzbek: buyruq — a command or edict
  • Uzbek: farmon — a command or edict
  • Vietnamese: điều răn — a command or edict
  • Vietnamese: giới luật — a command or edict
  • Yiddish: געבאָט (gebot) — a command or edict
Real reading context

commandment in complete knowledge articles