Other forms: commended, commending, commends
To commend is to praise somebody formally. Commend his courage, highly commended, commend it to the house.
Highly commended is a real category in competitions, ranking below the winner and above nothing. To commend something to somebody is to recommend it, and in older English to commend yourself to somebody was to send your regards.
1verbcommendTo praise somebody formally.
“The judge commended the young man for his bravery in stopping the thief.”
commend is a praising.
Latin commendare means to entrust or praise — com plus mandare, to commit to. Recommend is the same verb.
Proto-Indo-European
*(s)meh₂-
Latin
commendō — commend, entrust to, commit, recommend
Old French
comender
Middle English
commenden
English, today
commend
Built from
From Middle English commenden, from Old French comender, from Latin commendō (“commend, entrust to, commit, recommend”), from com- + mandō (“to commit, intrust, enjoin”), from manus (“hand”) + dō (“to put”). a doublet of command.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA