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mandate

n. · v.
US //ˈmænˌdeɪt// man·date
  1. 1 authority from voters (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Politics

    the authority given to an elected group or person to carry out their promises because they won an election.

    the authority to carry out a policy or course of action, regarded as given by the electorate to a candidate or party that is victorious in an election.

    Example

    The president claimed a clear mandate from the people to change the tax laws.

    Example

    With a landslide victory, the prime minister argued that the government held a democratic mandate to implement the controversial environmental reforms.

    Usage

    Often used with the preposition 'to' followed by an infinitive verb.
  2. 2 an official order (n.)
    C1 Advanced Formal Law

    an official or legal order to do something.

    an official order or commission to do something; a judicial command or precept.

    Example

    The court issued a mandate requiring the company to stop its operations.

    Example

    The agency's mandate was expanded by the legislature to include the oversight of all regional water treatment facilities.

    Usage

    In legal contexts, it functions as a countable noun referring to a specific document or decree.
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  1. 3 to make mandatory (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to make something a requirement or to give someone the official power to do something.

    to give an official instruction or command; to make a particular activity or behavior compulsory by law or regulation.

    Example

    The new law will mandate that all citizens wear seatbelts in the back of the car.

    Example

    Federal regulations mandate that all commercial aircraft undergo rigorous safety inspections after a specified number of flight hours.

    Usage

    Commonly followed by a 'that' clause or a direct object.
  2. 4 historical territory control (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Formal Archaic Politics

    a commission from the League of Nations to a country to govern a specific territory.

    an authorization granted by the League of Nations to a member nation to govern a former German or Turkish colony.

    Example

    After the war, the region was governed under a British mandate.

    Example

    The historical study examines the administrative challenges faced during the French mandate in Syria and Lebanon following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
Etymology 1

First attested in 1521; borrowed from Latin mandātum (“a charge, order, command, commission, injunction”), substantivized from the neuter forms of mandātus, perfect passive participle of mandō (“to commit to one's charge, order, command, commission, literally to put into one's hands”) (see -ate (noun-forming suffix)), from manus (“hand”) + -dere (“to put”). Sense 3 in Canadian English is likely a semantic loan from French mandat.

Etymology 2

First attested in 1623; partly directly borrowed from Latin mandātus (see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and Etymology 1 for more), partly from the above noun by metanalysis.

Etymology 3

From man + date.

Word family

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