encomendas

Encomendas is a term in Portuguese with several related meanings centered on entrusting, delivering, or ordering goods and services. In everyday commerce, a person or business makes an encomenda when placing an order for items or for a service. The act is commonly described as "fazer uma encomenda" or "aceitar encomendas," and the resulting goods may be delivered to a specified address.

In logistics and postal usage, an encomenda can refer to the items that are being sent or that have been sent to a recipient. It is a common label in both domestic and international shipping, with phrases such as "encomendas nacionais" and "encomendas internacionais." Shipping details typically include sender and recipient information, items and quantities, pricing, delivery terms, and tracking references.

Historically, encomenda also denotes a specific institutional arrangement in Iberia during the Middle Ages and early modern period. A comenda was a grant of revenue, land, or rights to a religious or military order, allowing the holder to collect rents or taxes and provide services or defense in return. The administrator of the encomenda was known as a comendador. This sense reflects the broader origin of the verb encomendar, meaning to entrust or commit something to another’s care.

Etymology and usage note: the word derives from Latin commendare, to entrust. In Portuguese, encomendar means to order or to entrust, and encomenda refers to the object or arrangement resulting from that act. The term remains common in everyday shopping language as well as in historical discussions of medieval and early modern Iberian institutions.