One way to hold this word: something is handed over into someone else's keeping, and the hands that gave it do not take it back. A court hands a person over to a prison or a hospital. A family hands a body over to the ground or the fire. A speaker hands over their own position in a sentence that can later be quoted against them. In every case there is a moment of release, and after it the thing given is out of the giver's control.

可以想成:有樣東西被交到別人手上,而交出去的手不再收回來。法院把一個人交給監獄或醫院。家屬把遺體交給土地或交給火。一個人把自己的立場交進一句話裡,以後可能被拿出來對照。三種情況都有同一個瞬間:放手。放手之後,交出去的那樣東西就不再由原本的人說了算。

From the word’s history

From the verb commit (Middle English committen, from Latin committō, from con- 'together' + mittō 'send'), plus the suffix -al which turns a verb into a noun. The old picture inside it is sending something over into another's keeping.

來自動詞 commit(中古英文 committen,源自拉丁文 committō,由 con-「一起」加 mittō「送」組成),再加上把動詞變名詞的字尾 -al。字面裡的老畫面就是「把東西送到別人手上」。

Wiktionary, "committal"

One branch

把一個人或一副身體交出去

登入就可以看這一支怎麼連回核心畫面。

sending to prison or hospital · noun

The act of a court officially sending someone to a prison or to a mental hospital, or the legal order that does this.

(法院的)收押、強制送醫