To seize something for military or official purposes, or to take control of something forcefully.
From French 'commandeur' (commander) via Dutch 'kommandeer' used during military occupations. The word implies taking something without permission in an official capacity.
During military occupations, soldiers commandeered local resources—and the fact that English borrowed this word from Dutch-influenced military contexts shows how vocabulary spreads from one military power to another as wars happened.
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