Other forms: commissioners
A commissioner is an official put in charge of a department. Police commissioner, the commissioner said, a European commissioner.
The office is usually appointed rather than elected and holds a defined power for a fixed term. The word comes from commission — a formal charge given to somebody. In sport, the commissioner runs the league. Note commissionaire, a doorman, which is the same word.
1nouncommissionerAn official put in charge of a department.
“The police commissioner promised to put more officers on the streets.”
commissioner is an official.
comMISSIONer → given the MISSION to run it
The one given the mission of running the whole department, and the name to go with it.
hooks ontomission
Medieval Latin commissionarius comes from commissio, a charge given, from committere, to entrust.
Medieval Latin
commissiōnārius
Anglo-Norman
commissionaire
Middle English
commissioner
English, today
commissioner
From Middle English commissioner, from Anglo-Norman commissionaire, from Medieval Latin commissiōnārius, from la + commissiō. From Middle English commissioner, from Anglo-Norman commissionaire, from Medieval Latin commissiōnārius. a doublet of commissionaire. by surface analysis, commission + -er.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA