mandatem

Mandatem is the instrumental singular form of the Polish noun mandat. The word mandat denotes an official authorization, assignment, or position granted by an authority, and it also refers to a formal legislative seat or mandate, such as in elections. In everyday language, mandat is used in several senses and is declined like a typical masculine noun ending in -at.

The noun mandat has two main broad meanings in Polish. First, it can mean an official authorization or license, a formal permission to perform a task or hold a role. Second, it commonly denotes a parliamentary or other elected mandate—a seat or right to act in a representative body, for example a parliamentary mandate (mandat poselski) or a senator’s mandate. A third related meaning is a traffic or administrative penalty referred to as a mandat karny; this use is common in law and policing contexts.

As the instrumental singular form, mandatem appears in sentences where the noun functions as an instrument or means, or in fixed verbal constructions requiring the instrumental case. The noun is masculine, and its plural forms follow standard patterns for -at nouns in Polish: mandaty (nominative), mandatów (genitive), mandatom (dative), mandaty (accusative), mandatami (instrumental), and mandatach (locative).

Etymology traces mandat to Latin mandatum, meaning an order or instruction, via European languages that adopted the term to denote authorization or appointment.

See also: Mandat, parliamentary mandate, traffic ticket (mandat karny).