<B>commissar, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1a. </B>the head of a government department in the former Soviet Union. The title of Commissar or People's Commissar was replaced by <I>Minister</I> in 1946. <DD><B> b. </B>a government official of the former Soviet Union in charge of Communist organization and indoctrination, especially in the army. Army commissars were replaced by political instructors in 1942. <DD><B> c. </B>any similar government official in Communist countries other than the former Soviet Union. <DD><B> 2. </B>a commissary; deputy. </DL>
<A NAME="commissarial">
<B>commissarial, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with a commissary. </DL>
<A NAME="commissariat">
<B>commissariat, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1a. </B>the department of an army that provides food and daily supplies for soldiers. <DD><B> b. </B>the officers in charge of such a department. <DD><B> 2. </B>a food supply. <DD><B> 3. </B>any government department in the former Soviet Union. </DL>
<A NAME="commissary">
<B>commissary, </B>noun, pl. <B>-saries.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a store handling food and supplies, as in a mining camp, lumber camp, or army camp. <DD><B> 2. </B>an army officer in charge of food and daily supplies for soldiers. <DD><B> 3. </B>a deputy; representative. (SYN) agent, delegate. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Ecclesiastical.) a representative of a bishop who has jurisdiction in remote parts of a diocese or performs the bishop's duties in his absence. <DD><B> 5. </B>a French police officer ranking next to the mayor and police chief. <DD><B> 6. </B>a commissar in the former Soviet Union. noun <B>commissaryship.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="commissarygeneral">
<B>commissary general,</B> pl. <B>commissaries general.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a chief commissary. <DD><B> 2. </B>the head of an army commissariat. </DL>
<A NAME="commission">
<B>commission, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a written paper giving certain powers, privileges, and duties. <BR> <I>Ex. Thomas Jefferson once held a commission as United States minister to France.</I> (SYN) warrant, license. <DD><B> 2. </B>a written order giving rank and authority as an officer in the armed forces. <BR> <I>Ex. A captain in the United States Army or Navy has a commission signed by the President.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>the rank and authority given by such an order. <BR> <I>Ex. His commission entitled him to enter the officers' club.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>a giving of authority. <DD><B> 5. </B>authority, power, or right given. <DD><B> 6. </B>a thing a person is entrusted to do; errand. <BR> <I>Ex. The club gave its president the commission of selecting a place tomeet. She was given the commission of establishing a school for native children.</I> <DD><B> 7. </B>a group of people appointed or elected with authority to do certain things. <BR> <I>Ex. The President can appoint a commission to find out why food costs so much.</I> <DD><B> 8. </B>the act of committing; doing; performance. <BR> <I>Ex. People are punished for the commission of crimes.</I> <DD><B> 9. </B>a percentage of the amount of business done, paid to the agent who does it. <BR> <I>Ex. She gets a commission of 10 per cent on all the sales she makes.</I> <DD> (Abbr.) com. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to give (a person) the right, power, or duty (to do something); give authority to. <BR> <I>Ex. My father commissioned a real estate agent to sell our house. The artist was commissioned to paint a portrait of the President.</I> (SYN) license, authorize, empower. <DD><B> 2. </B>to give a commission to. <DD><B> 3. </B>to put into active service; make ready for use. <BR> <I>Ex. A new warship is commissioned when it has the officers, sailors, and supplies needed for a sea trip.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>in commission,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>in working order; ready for use. </I> <I>Ex. It will take us about a week to put your car in commission.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>in service; in use. <BR> <I>Ex. Huge jet aircraft have been in commission for several years.</I> <DD><B> c. </B>ready for service. <BR> <I>Ex. A ship or its commanding officer ready for active service is said to be in commission.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>out of commission,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>not in working order; not ready for use. </I> <I>Ex. A flat tire put my bicycle out of commission. We'll have to use your record player; mine is out of commission.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>not in service or use. <BR> <I>Ex. This machine was old and is now out of commission.</I> <DD><B> c. </B>not ready for service. <BR> <I>Ex. A ship or its commanding officer or crew retired from active service is said to be out of commission.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="commissionaire">
<B>commissionaire, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(Especially British and Canadian.) a person entrusted with small errands or duties, such as that of doorman, messenger, or porter. <BR> <I>Ex. I said that I would see her at once and a few moments later the commissionaire brought her to my office (Maclean's).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a retired serviceman or a pensioner, especially in England and on the Continent, who does such work. </DL>
<A NAME="commissional">
<B>commissional, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having to do with a commission. </DL>
<A NAME="commissionedofficer">
<B>commissioned officer,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any officer holding the rank of second lieutenant or above in the U.S. Army, Air Force, or Marines, or of ensign or above in the U.S. Navy. </DL>
<A NAME="commissioner">
<B>commissioner, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>an official in charge of some department of a government. <BR> <I>Ex. a police commissioner. Our county has both a road commissioner and a commissioner of public health.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a member of a commission. <DD><B> 3. </B>one of a group of persons elected or appointed to govern a city or a county. </DL>
<A NAME="commissionership">
<B>commissionership, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the office or position of a commissioner. <DD><B> 2. </B>the district under a commissioner. </DL>
<A NAME="commissionhouse">
<B>commission house,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a brokerage firm that buys and sells stocks, securities, or other commercial paper, for others on a commission basis. </DL>
<A NAME="commissionmerchant">
<B>commission merchant,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a person who buys or sells goods for others who pay him a commission. </DL>
<A NAME="commissionpennant">
<B>commission pennant,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a long pennant flown on a naval ship to show that the ship is in active service and no officer higher than the commanding officer is on board. </DL>
<A NAME="commissionplan">
<B>commission plan,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a system of municipal government by elected commissioners with legislative, executive, and administrative powers. Each commissioner is the head of a municipal department. </DL>
<A NAME="commissural">
<B>commissural, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having to do with or of the nature of a commissure (nerve fiber). </DL>
<A NAME="commissure">
<B>commissure, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(Anatomy.) any one of the nerve fibers connecting corresponding parts of the brain or spinal cord. <DD><B> 2. </B>the line or surface along which two parts touch each other or form a connection; joint; seam; junction. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Botany.) the joint or face by which one carpel coheres with another. </DL>
<A NAME="commissurotomy">
<B>commissurotomy, </B>noun, pl. <B>-mies.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> surgery to relieve obstruction of the mitral valve in certain cases of cardiac constriction. </DL>
<A NAME="commit">
<B>commit, </B>transitive verb, <B>-mitted,</B> <B>-mitting.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to do or perform (usually something wrong); perpetrate. <BR> <I>Ex. A man who steals commits a crime. Thou shalt not commit adultery (Exodus 20:14).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to hand over for safekeeping; deliver. <BR> <I>Ex. The sick man committed himself to a doctor's care. The insane woman was committed to an asylum.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to imprison officially. <BR> <I>Ex. The judge committed the thief to prison.</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>to give over; carry over; transfer. <BR> <I>Ex. I will commit the experiences of my early life to writing. Dead people are committed to the grave.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>to bind or involve (oneself); pledge. <BR> <I>Ex. I have committed myself and must keep my promise. He would not commit himself in any way.</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>to reveal (one's opinion). <DD><B> 7. </B>to refer (a bill) to a committee for consideration. <BR><I>expr. <B>commit to memory.</B> </I>See under <B>memory.</B> <BR><I>expr. <B>commit to paper.</B> </I>See under <B>paper.</B> noun <B>committer.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="commitment">
<B>commitment, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act or process of committing. <DD><B> 2. </B>state of being committed. <DD><B> 3a. </B>the act or process of sending to prison or an asylum. <DD><B> b. </B>an order sending a person to prison or to an asylum. <DD><B> 4. </B>a pledge; promise. <BR> <I>Ex. Honest people fulfill their commitments. If we had a wholly Regular army we could meet our present commitments with at least 100,000 fewer men (London Times).</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>(in parliamentary procedure) the act of referring to a committee for consideration or report; committal. <DD><B> 6a. </B>an agreement to buy or sell stocks, securities, or other commercial paper. <DD><B> b. </B>a sale or purchase made by such an agreement. </DL>
<A NAME="committable">
<B>committable, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that can be committed. Also, <B>committible.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="committal">
<B>committal, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the act or process of committing; commitment. </DL>
