command

Command refers to a directive issued by an authority that expects compliance and outlines an action to be carried out. In everyday language it encompasses orders given by a supervisor, a parent, or any figure who holds authority, and it may carry legal, moral, or practical weight. The term derives from the Latin commendare, to entrust or commit, and has long been used in military, administrative, and legal contexts.

In computing, a command is a directive that a computer program or operating system executes. Commands are usually entered through a command-line interface or a graphical command palette, and a command language defines its syntax, arguments, and options. Shells like Bash or PowerShell interpret commands, enabling tasks such as listing files, copying data, or launching programs. Commands can be combined using features like piping and redirection to create pipelines and automate workflows. Examples include Unix commands such as ls, cd, and grep; or Windows commands like dir, copy, and del.

Other senses include the military concept of command as the authority to direct forces, the organizational capability of command and control, and the ethical or leadership obligations associated with directing others. In linguistics, the imperative mood expresses commands or requests. The term also appears in phrases such as “to give the command” or “in command of,” and can refer to a group with designated leadership.