Etymologically
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commissioner

Etymology and origin of the English word commissioner

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1448
Borrowed from
Anglo-Norman commissionaire via Middle English
Ultimate origin
Latin (commissio)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /kəˈmɪ.ʃə.nə/ (UK); /kəˈmɪ.ʃə.nəɹ/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English commissioner, borrowed from Anglo-Norman commissionaire, from or on the model of Medieval Latin commissionarius (“one entrusted with a commission”),[2][3][4] from commissio (“act of committing; in Medieval Latin, delegation of business”).[2][4] MWU explains it as formed in Middle English from commissioun and -er.[5] It is related to commission and commit.[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

One appointed by a commission from a proper authority to carry out some business: 1448 in the OED, the early 15th century in Etymonline.[6][2]

Semantic evolution

A member of a permanent commission or government board is from 1532 in the OED, the 1530s in Etymonline.[6][2] In the United States it came to mean one elected to manage the affairs of a municipality.[2] In 19th-century slang a commissioner was also a betting broker (1860).[6] The short form commish is attested by 1910.[2]

Timeline

  • 1448 – one appointed by commission.[6]
  • 1532 – a member of a commission or board.[6]
  • 1860 – slang, a bookmaker.[6]
  • 1910 – commish.[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A member of a commission.
  2. A government official in charge of a department or district.
  3. A person given authority to carry out particular duties.
  4. (US) An official who governs a professional sport or league.

Word family

  • commissionership
  • subcommissioner
  • high commissioner

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Commissioner.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/commissioner. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·