Skip to main content
commandery

commandery

1 9.9
An area or office led by a commander in an order of knights
  • noun
  • /kəˈmændəri/
  • Archaic
translation icon : comandancia
  • In the ancient commandery, knights trained rigorously for their upcoming battles.

And they there's, they set up a commandery at the Temple of Isis at Phile.

Examples

  • The commander addressed the members of the commandery before the mission began.

  • Each commandery was responsible for organizing the defense of the kingdom.

  • Five minutes later, the little party trotted out of the gate of the Commandery at Chauvigny, bound for the Holy Land.

    Blog text (28)
  • The Templar Commandery sat on the shore, commanding a private harbor, and here Blanche and Claire were given a chamber in the square keep.

    Blog text (28)

Synonyms

command
vscommandery
  • Formal
4.9

Power to control people or things, often in the military

is about the formal office and jurisdiction within military or knightly orders
lordship
vscommandery
6 9.4

Power that a person has over land and people in the past

is the office tied to military or chivalric jurisdictions rather than feudal land power
chiefship
vscommandery
1 6.6

The time when a person leads a group

is focused on office within military or knightly orders rather than general leadership
commandership
vscommandery
8.1

The position and power of a leader in charge of soldiers

is specific to military or chivalric orders and stresses jurisdiction

Surface Forms

commandery singular
commanderies plural

Morphology

commandery = commander (semi-transparent) = commander + ery

Built from the recognizable base 'commander' with the suffix '-ery' denoting an office or domain; the sense is somewhat literary and specialised.

Etymology

Commandery comes from the same root as command and commander; command means 'to order', and the ending -ery often shows a 'place' or 'office'. So a commandery is the place where a commander has power, especially in orders of knights.