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commission

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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English Wikipedia has an article on:
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Etymology

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From Middle English commissioun, from Old French commission, from Latin commissiō (sending together; commission), from prefix com- (with) + noun of action missiō (sending), from perfect passive participle missus (sent), from the verb mittō (to send) + noun of action suffix -iō.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /kəˈmɪʃən/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɪʃən

Noun

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commission (countable and uncountable, plural commissions)

  1. A sending or mission (to do or accomplish something).
  2. An official charge or authority to do something, often used of military officers.
    David received his commission after graduating from West Point.
  3. The thing to be done as agent for another.
    I have three commissions for the city.
  4. A body or group of people, officially tasked with carrying out a particular function.
    Synonym: committee
    the European Commission
    the Electoral Commission
    the Federal Communications Commission
    The company's sexual harassment commission made sure that every employee completed the on-line course.
    • 1855–1858, William H[ickling] Prescott, History of the Reign of Philip the Second, King of Spain, volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Boston, Mass.: Phillips, Sampson, and Company, →OCLC:
      A commission was at once appointed to examine into the matter.
  5. A fee charged by an agent or broker for carrying out a transaction.
    Hyponyms: (to a broker) brokerage, (to a shroff) shroffage
    a reseller's commission
    The real-estate broker charged a four percent commission for their knowledge on bidding for commercial properties; for their intellectual perspective on making a formal offer and the strategy to obtain a mutually satisfying deal with the seller in favour of the buyer.
    • 1935, G. K. Chesterton, The Scandal of Father Brown:
      [T]he scandal was the pretty common one of a corrupt agreement between hotel proprietors and a salesman who took and gave secret commissions, so that his business had a monopoly of all the drink sold in the place.
  6. The act of committing (e.g. a crime or error).
    Antonym: omission
    the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism
    • 1692–1717, Robert South, Twelve Sermons Preached upon Several Occasions, volume (please specify |volume=I to VI), London:
      Every commission of sin introduces into the soul a certain degree of hardness.
    • 1974 February 2, “Manslaughter Charged in 'Self-Defense' Slaying”, in Gay Community News, volume 1, number 32, page 3:
      Two witnesses to the assault, both patrons of the bar at the time of the incident, were also subpoenaed, but they were requested to sign a waiver of immunity, which would allow their prosecution in the event that their testimony indicated their involvement in the commission of a crime.

Derived terms

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Descendants

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  • Japanese: コミッション (komisshon)
  • Korean: 커미션 (keomisyeon)
  • Punjabi: ਕਮਿਸ਼ਨ (kamiśan)

Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb

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commission (third-person singular simple present commissions, present participle commissioning, simple past and past participle commissioned)

  1. (transitive) To send or officially charge someone or some group to do something.
    James Bond was commissioned with recovering the secret documents.
    • 2012 August 1, Owen Gibson, London 2012: rowers Glover and Stanning win Team GB's first gold medal[1], Guardian Unlimited:
      Stanning, who was commissioned from Sandhurst in 2008 and has served in Afghanistan, is not the first solider[sic – meaning soldier] to bail out the organisers at these Games but will be among the most celebrated.
  2. (transitive) To place an order for (often a piece of art).
    He commissioned a replica of the Mona Lisa for his living room, but the painter gave up after six months.
  3. (transitive, especially of a ship or boat) To put into active service.
    The aircraft carrier was commissioned in 1944, during WWII.
    • 2023 March 8, Chris Howe, “Building the platform for Old Oak Common's platforms”, in RAIL, number 978, page 60:
      The 1.7 mile-long conveyor system was commissioned in November 2022, and will remove one million lorry movements from the roads around West London.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Chinese

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Etymology

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From English commission. Compare Wu 康密興 / 康密兴 (1khaon-miq-shin).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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commission

  1. (Hong Kong Cantonese) commission (fee)

Synonyms

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French

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin commissiōnem.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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commission f (plural commissions)

  1. commission (fee charged by an agent or broker for carrying out a transaction)

Derived terms

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Descendants

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Further reading

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