commandant

[kom-uh n-dant, -dahnt, kom-uh n-dant, -dahnt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR commandant ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the commanding officer of a place, group, etc.: the commandant of a naval base.

the title of the senior officer and head of the U.S. Marine Corps.

U.S. Army. a title generally given to the heads of military schools.

a commander.

Origin of commandant

1680–90; < French, noun use of present participle of commander to command; see -ant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for commandant

administrator, guru, ruler, boss, director, judge, manager, commander, owner, instructor, teacher, commandant, head, chief, officer, captain, supervisor, pro, general, pedagogue

Examples from the Web for commandant

Contemporary Examples of commandant

We believe that we may be close to such an impasse, and we want to present the Commandant with options.
Gagging the Corps: A Marine Commandant’s War on Newsprint
David Abrams
February 26, 2014
He is a graduate of the Kakul academy and was also its commandant at one point in his career.
The New Head of Pakistan’s Army Holds the Country’s Most Important Job
Bruce Riedel
November 30, 2013
He also wrote to the Commandant Coast Guards, identifying obvious vulnerabilities.
When India Failed in the Mumbai Terrorist Attacks
Emma Garman
November 2, 2013
“I am a big fan of General Amos, the Marine Corps commandant, now at the two-and-a-half-year mark in that job,” he says.
Shortlist Forms to Replace Gen. John Allen as NATO Chief Nominee
Eli Lake
February 15, 2013
Not so fast on women in combat, says the commandant of the Marine Corps, General James Amos.
Women in Combat: Standards Meet Equality
David Frum
January 31, 2013

Historical Examples of commandant

I am recommending you to the care of the station-master, the Commandant X.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
This girl is at present the wife of Commandant Monfils Chesneau.
My Double Life
Sarah Bernhardt
If I am commandant of this force I hand over the captaincy of this company to you.
Micah Clarke
Arthur Conan Doyle
But supposing, now, I was to take it into my head to inform the Commandant?
A Hero of Our Time
M. Y. Lermontov
Ferguson went to the infirmary and Grayson went to the Commandant's office.
The Adventurer
Cyril M. Kornbluth

British Dictionary definitions for commandant

commandant

noun

an officer commanding a place, group, or establishment

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for commandant

1680s, from French commandant "the one commanding" originally "commanding," present participle of commander (Old French comander) "to order, enjoin;" see command (v.). Similar formation in Spanish and Italian comandante.