Main Entry: com·mis·sar·i·at

Pronunciation: \ˌkä-mə-ˈser-ē-ət, especially for 3 -ˈsär-\

Function: noun

Etymology: New Latin commissariatus, from Medieval Latin commissarius

Date: 1779

1 : a system for supplying an army with food
2 : food supplies
3 [Russian komissariat, from German Kommissariat, from New Latin commissariatus] : a government department in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics until 1946
4 : a board of commissioners