commissary

noun

com·mis·sary | \ˈkä-mə-ˌser-ē,

-ˌse-rē\

plural commissaries

Definition of commissary

1 : one delegated by a superior to execute a duty or an office

2a : a store for equipment and provisions especially : a supermarket for military personnel

b : food supplies

c : a lunchroom especially in a motion-picture studio

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Examples of commissary in a Sentence

will serve as commissary of religious education for the whole diocese

Recent Examples on the Web

Today, there are staff offices as well as a commissary and showers for the property’s gardening staff. — Marian Mcevoy, ELLE Decor, "An Intimate Look Inside Yves Saint Laurent’s Private Marrakech Home," 2 Aug. 2018 Oh, and the prison commissary — West had worked there, too, for a year. — Tommy Rowan, Philly.com, "After 14 years in prison, ex-con fills out his first resume - and hopes," 12 June 2018 And in a unit reserved for the most dangerous inmates, a clerk from the commissary policed the corridors. — New York Times, "Safety Concerns Grow as Inmates Are Guarded by Teachers and Secretaries," 17 June 2018 Just around the corner from Secret Garden is Hour Cucina, a commissary started by Susan Levin. — Marcia Heroux Pounds, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Boynton Beach incubator and commissary cooking up new food businesses," 5 July 2018 In Hawaii, there are high schools, and there are medical facilities, and there are PXs and commissaries. — Jason Zengerle, New York Times, "How Devin Nunes Turned the House Intelligence Committee Inside Out," 24 Apr. 2018 He was sentenced to 20 days of disciplinary confinement, 20 days’ loss of commissary access and 20 days loss of telephone privileges, jail officials said. — David Harris, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Accused Kissimmee cop killer moved to Orange jail after officer uses force on him," 17 Apr. 2018 Not only are periods prohibitively expensive – in part, due to price gouging of tampons by commissaries – but often a monthly source of humiliation, even abuse. — refinery29.com, "Meghan Markle Has Championed Menstrual Equity — Here's Why You Should Too," 21 May 2018 There, 25 refugees, most of them women, work as catering chefs, producing the traditional dishes of their home countries from a commissary kitchen in Long Island City, Queens. — Tejal Rao, New York Times, "A Festival Where Refugees Cook for New York," 14 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'commissary.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for commissary

Middle English commissarie, borrowed from Anglo-French commissaire, commissarie, borrowed from Medieval Latin commissārius, from Latin commissus (past participle of committere "to join together, engage, place in the keeping of, entrust, bring about") + -ārius -ary entry 1 — more at commit