[kuh-man-der, -mahn-] 
| 1. | a person who commands. |
| 2. | a person who exercises authority; chief officer; leader. |
| 3. | the commissioned officer in command of a military unit. |
| 4. | U.S. Navy. an officer ranking below a captain and above a lieutenant commander. |
| 5. | a police officer in charge of a precinct or other unit. |
| 6. | the chief officer of a commandery in the medieval orders of Knights Hospitalers, Knights Templars, and others. |
| 7. | a member of one of the higher classes or ranks in certain modern fraternal orders, as in the Knights Templars. |
| commandership | |
noun | |
| the position or office of commander |
dər