commissarius

Forms

commissārius m (genitive commissāriī); second declension^[1][2]

Etymology

It is from Latin commissum (“something entrusted”) + -ārius, from committō (“to entrust”).^[3][4][5] Conte calls it a medieval Latin word.^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The TLL has it only in ancient glossaries, which explain it as notārii, and in a scholium on Juvenal 7.6, where it explains praecōnēs and other readings are ēmissārii and emptiārii.^[3] As a word of medieval documents, Köbler finds it in charters of 1152–1190; the MLW's earliest example is a diploma in the name of Frederick I that it marks as spurious, addressed among others to vicars, lieutenants and commissāriī.^[1][2]

Semantic evolution

In medieval Latin it was the person to whom a ruler, a pope or a bishop entrusted a task, a jurisdiction or a power of administration: a delegate or commissioner.^[6][2][7] In 1230 Archbishop Albert of Magdeburg calls himself legate and commissārius of Rome.^[2] In England it named royal and papal commissioners and the commissary to whom a bishop delegated his judicial powers;^[7] at Oxford it was the deputy of the chancellor of the university.^[7] It also meant the executor of a will,^[6][8][9] and in the Czech lands a guardian of orphans or of property.^[9] In Scotland the burghs sent commissāriī to parliament.^[7] It could also be an adjective, “delegated”, as in the letters by which a case was committed to someone.^[7][8]

Neo-Latin kept the word for officials of many kinds;^[10] Luther's theses say that trust in letters of indulgence is vain even if the commissary, or the pope himself, pledged his soul for them.^[10] English commissary comes from it in the late 14th century, at first mainly in the Church;^[5] English commissar also goes back to it, through French, German and Russian.^[5]

Timeline

• 1152–1190 – It appears in charters, the first of them a diploma in the name of Frederick I that the MLW marks as spurious.^[1][2]
• 1230 – Archbishop Albert of Magdeburg calls himself legate and commissārius of Rome.^[2]
• 1236 – In England it is used of royal commissioners and of a bishop's judicial deputies.^[7]
• 1333 – The statutes of Oxford name the chancellor's general commissary.^[7]
• 1350 – A Croatian charter names the commissāriī of a count's testament.^[8]
• late 14th century – English borrows it as commissary.^[5]
• 1450 – Scottish records name the commissioners of the burghs of the realm.^[7]

Meanings

Noun

1. (Medieval Latin) A person entrusted with a task or power by a superior; a delegate, commissioner (royal, papal, imperial).^[6][2][7][8]
2. (Medieval Latin, ecclesiastical) A commissary appointed by a bishop or other prelate, especially to act as judge.^[7][2]
3. (Medieval Latin) The deputy of the chancellor of a university.^[7]
4. (Medieval Latin, law) The executor of a will.^[6][8][9]
5. (Medieval Latin) A guardian (of orphans or property).^[9]
6. (Medieval Latin, Scotland) A representative of a burgh in parliament.^[7]

Adjective

1. (Medieval Latin) Delegated; committing a case to someone (of letters).^[7][8][9]

Related words

• commissum
• commissiō
• English commissary
• English commissar

References

1. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
4. ^ a b Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
5. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b c d Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b c d e f Bartal, Antal, et al. (1987–), Lexicon Latinitatis Medii Aevi Hungariae, Budapest: Akadémiai Kiadó; online ed. ELTE
9. ^ a b c d e Latinitatis medii aevi lexicon Bohemorum / Slovník středověké latiny v českých zemích (1977–), Prague: Academia; electronic version, Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences
10. ^ a b Ramminger, Johann, Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700, www.neulatein.de