Befehl

Befehl is a German noun meaning command, order, or directive. It refers to an instruction given by someone in a position of authority to perform a task. In everyday language, a person may issue a Befehl to others, and authorities issue Befehle that carry formal weight. In legal and military contexts, a Befehl is a formal instruction that must be followed, subject to constraints such as legality and morality; disobeying unlawful orders can have consequences.

In computing, Befehl is the standard German term for a command or instruction directed at a computer, device, or program. It is used in phrases such as Shell-Befehl or Konsolenbefehl, and appears in discussions of command-line interfaces, scripting, and automation. A sequence of Befehle can be scripted to perform automated tasks. The compound term Maschinenbefehl is used to refer to a machine instruction in computer architecture.

Etymology and usage notes: Befehl derives from the verb befehlen, meaning to command. The noun denotes the act or the explicit instruction itself. In German, the word is widely used across contexts—from everyday interaction to formal governance and technical settings. Distinctions are often made between a Befehl issued by a superior and commands issued by a user or program, with context clarifying authority and scope.