mandatus

Mandatus is a Latin term meaning “ordered,” “entrusted,” or “commanded.” It is the perfect passive participle of the verb mandare, which means to entrust, commit, or command. In Latin grammar, mandatus can function as an adjective or, more often, as a substantive referring to a person who has been entrusted with a task; in this sense it is related to the concept of a mandate.

In Roman law, mandatum (the contract of mandate) is a form of agency by which one party, the mandator, entrusts another, the mandatary, to perform a service on the mandator’s behalf. The term mandatus appears in legal texts to designate the person who receives the mandate and is authorized to act in the name of the mandator within the scope of the instruction. The relationship is fiduciary: the mandatary is expected to follow the mandator’s directions and to act loyally, while the mandator remains ultimately responsible for the acts performed within the mandate, subject to the terms of the agreement.

Etymology and usage notes: mandatus derives from mandare and shares roots with modern terms such as mandate. In classical Latin literature and legal writings, the participial form often appears in phrases describing duties or completed commands, for example in constructions like “mandatus est” (he has been commanded or entrusted).

Modern relevance: While largely of bibliographic and historical interest, mandatus and the surrounding mandatum concept illuminate early forms of agency and delegated authority in Roman law and Latin linguistic usage. See also mandatum, mandatary, and mandator for related terms.