a general officer in the British marine, invested with the command of a detachment of ships of war, destined on any particular enterprise, during which time he bears the rank of brigadier-general in the army, and is distinguished from the inferior ships of his squadron by a broad red pendant tapering towards the outer end, and sometimes forked. The word is corrupted from the Spanish comendador.

Commodore is also a name given to some select ship in a fleet of merchantmen, who leads the van in time of war, and carries a light in his top to conduct the rest and keep them together. He is always the oldest captain in the fleet which he commands.