Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - command

 I. verb  Etymology: Middle English comanden, from Anglo-French cumander, from Vulgar Latin *~are, alteration of Latin commendare to commit to one's charge — more at commend  Date: 14th century  transitive verb  1. to direct authoritatively ; order  2. to exercise a dominating influence over ; have ~ of: as  a. to have at one's immediate disposal ~s many resources  b. to demand or receive as one's due ~s a high fee  c. to overlook or dominate from or as if from a strategic position a hill that ~s the city  d. to have military ~ of as senior officer ~ a regiment  3. obsolete to order or request to be given  intransitive verb  1. to have or exercise direct authority ; govern  2. to give orders  3. to be ~er  4. to dominate as if from an elevated place  • ~able adjective Synonyms:  ~, order, bid, enjoin, direct, instruct, charge mean to issue orders. ~ and order imply authority and usually some degree of formality and impersonality. ~ stresses official exercise of authority a general ~ing troops. order may suggest peremptory or arbitrary exercise ordered his employees about like slaves. bid suggests giving orders peremptorily (as to children or servants) she bade him be seated. enjoin implies giving an order or direction authoritatively and urgently and often with admonition or solicitude a sign enjoining patrons to be quiet. direct and instruct both connote expectation of obedience and usually concern specific points of procedure or method, instruct sometimes implying greater explicitness or formality directed her assistant to hold all calls the judge instructed the jury to ignore the remark. charge adds to enjoin an implication of imposing as a duty or responsibility charged by the President with a secret mission.  II. noun  Date: 15th century  1.  a. an order given  b. a signal that actuates a device (as a control mechanism in a spacecraft or one step in a computer); also the activation of a device by means of such a signal  2.  a. the ability to control ; mastery  b. the authority or right to ~ the officer in ~  c.  (1) the power to dominate  (2) scope of vision  d. facility in use a good ~ of French  e. control 1d a pitcher with good ~ of his curveball  3. the act of ~ing  4. the personnel, area, or organization under a ~er; specifically a unit of the United States Air Force higher than an air force  5. a position of highest usually military authority  Synonyms: see power  III. adjective  Date: 1826 done on ~ or request a ~ performance