commissioner

com·mis·sion·er
C3O1M3M3I1S1S1I1O1N1E1R1
UK/kəˈmɪ.ʃə.nə/US/kəˈmɪ.ʃə.nəɹ/

noun

One who commissions something.

OriginMiddle English commissioner ← Anglo-Norman commissionaire ← Medieval Latin commissiōnārius →
CommonScrabble 18
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Meanings

commissioner1

nouncommissioner (plural commissioners)

plural commissioners

  1. One who commissions something.

    […] the 'private nature' of commissioned pictures, particularly portraits, was frequently mentioned as the justification for two types of proposal: the ownership of painting copyright by the commissioner, or ownership of painting copyright by the artist […]

    2018, Elena Cooper, Art and Modern Copyright: The Contested Image, page 164
  2. One commissioned to perform certain duties.
  3. A member of a commission.
    1. governmentAn official in charge of a government department, especially a police force.

Commissioner2

nounCommissioner (plural Commissioners)

plural Commissioners

  1. European UnionalternativeAlternative form of European Commissioner.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
  3. Proto-Italic*kom
  4. Proto-Italic*kom-
  5. Latincon-
  6. Proto-Indo-European*mey-?
  7. Proto-Indo-European*meyth₂-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*méyth₂eti
  9. Proto-Italic*meitō
  10. Old Latinmītō
  11. Latinmittō
  12. Latincommittō
  13. Latincommissiō
  14. Medieval Latincommissiōnārius
  15. Anglo-Normancommissionaire
  16. Middle Englishcommissioner
  17. Englishcommissioner

From Middle English commissioner, from Anglo-Norman commissionaire, from Medieval Latin commissiōnārius. Doublet of commissionaire. By surface analysis, commission + -er.

More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Medieval Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic مُفَوَّض, مُفَوَّضَة
  • مُفَوَّض (mufawwaḍ)someone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • مُفَوَّضَة (mufawwaḍa)someone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
Bulgarian представи́тел, комиса́р
  • представи́тел (predstavítel)someone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • комиса́р (komisár)someone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • комиса́р (komisár)member of a commission
Catalan comissionat
  • comissionatmember of a commission
Chinese Mandarin 專員 /专员, 政委
  • 專員 /专员 (zhuānyuán)someone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • 政委 (zhèngwěi)someone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • 委員 /委员 (wěiyuán)member of a commission
Czech komisař
  • komisařmember of a commission
Danish kommissær, kommissær
  • kommissærsomeone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • kommissærmember of a commission
Dutch gevolmachtigde, commissaris
  • gevolmachtigdesomeone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • commissarismember of a commission
Estonian erivolinik
  • erivoliniksomeone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
Finnish asiamies, komissaari
  • asiamiessomeone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • komissaarimember of a commission
French commissaire
  • commissairesomeone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
German Kommissar, Kommissarin
  • Kommissarsomeone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • Kommissarinsomeone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • Beauftragtersomeone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • Beauftragtesomeone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • Kommissionsmitgliedmember of a commission
  • Kommissarmember of a commission
Greek επίτροπος
  • επίτροπος (epítropos)member of a commission
Hindi कमिश्नर, आयुक्त
  • कमिश्नर (kamiśnar)someone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • आयुक्त (āyukt)someone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • कमिश्नर (kamiśnar)member of a commission
  • आयुक्त (āyukt)member of a commission
Hungarian megbízott, biztos
  • megbízottsomeone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • biztossomeone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • bizottsági tagmember of a commission
Italian committente, commissario
  • committenteone who commissions something
  • commissariosomeone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • commissariomember of a commission
Māori toihau, kaikōmihana
  • toihausomeone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • kaikōmihanasomeone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • kaikōmihanamember of a commission
  • mema kōmihanamember of a commission
Norwegian Bokmål kommissær, kommissær
  • kommissærsomeone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • kommissærmember of a commission
Portuguese comissionário, comissionado
  • comissionáriosomeone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • comissionadosomeone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • comissionáriomember of a commission
  • comissáriomember of a commission
Russian комисса́р, представи́тель
  • комисса́р (komissár)someone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • представи́тель (predstavítelʹ)someone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • представи́тельница (predstavítelʹnica)someone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • уполномо́ченный (upolnomóčennyj)someone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • уполномо́ченная (upolnomóčennaja)someone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • член коми́ссии (člen komíssii)member of a commission
Spanish notario, notaria
  • notariosomeone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • notariasomeone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • comisionadomember of a commission
Swahili kamishna, kamishna
  • kamishnasomeone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee
  • kamishnamember of a commission
Swedish kommissionär, kommissarie
  • kommissionärmember of a commission
  • kommissariemember of a commission
  • kommissionsledamotmember of a commission
Tagalog kalupon
  • kaluponmember of a commission
Turkish komiser
  • komisermember of a commission
Welsh comisiynydd
  • comisiynyddsomeone commissioned to perform certain duties — see also assignee

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

recommission
Cite this entry
APA

commissioner. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/commissioner

MLA

“commissioner.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/commissioner. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “commissioner,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/commissioner.

Source: commissioner on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.