commissary

noun

com·​mis·​sary ˈkä-mə-ˌser-ē 

-ˌse-rē

plural commissaries

1

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

2

a

: a store for equipment and provisions

especially : a supermarket for military personnel

b

: food supplies

c

: a lunchroom especially in a motion-picture studio

commissarial

ˌkä-mə-ˈsär-ē-əl 

-ˈser-

adjective

Synonyms

• agent
• assignee
• attorney
• delegate
• deputy
• envoy
• factor
• minister
• procurator
• proxy
• rep
• representative

Examples of commissary in a Sentence

will serve as commissary of religious education for the whole diocese

Recent Examples on the Web

The Pulaski County sheriff shared more information about the terms and results of a Netflix reality TV show filmed in the jail last year in his answers to questions from the Quorum Court that also touched on safety considerations and payments made to inmates' commissary accounts. —Grant Lancaster, arkansasonline.com, 6 Apr. 2024

During the intermission, before Stapleton came on—prime selling time—the commissary ran out of hot dogs and churros, and Duvalsaint had to settle for cotton candy, without much success. —Adam Elder, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024

The 1,100-square-foot space will double as the butchery and pasta commissary kitchen for all Crown Restaurant Group restaurants, both of which will be overseen by Young. —Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 18 Jan. 2024

In addition, a small meat counter and commissary is planned to sell grab-and-go prepared food items. —Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2024

The Brooklyn hub will not only become a commissary and operation headquarters but have seating for approximately 40 guests. —Kristin L. Wolfe, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024

The new, 12,000-square-foot production facility was born out of necessity, since the deli had outgrown its existing commissary space. —Lily O'Neill, The Denver Post, 14 Feb. 2024

No one going to prison expects a spa experience from the canteens and commissaries selling personal-care products to the population. —Marci Robin, Allure, 25 Jan. 2024

In recent years, that fund grew to a balance of more than $32 million as revenues — both from phone calls and inmate commissary purchases — outpaced expenditures. —Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2023

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

commissary

noun

com·​mis·​sary ˈkäm-ə-ˌser-ē 

plural commissaries

1

: a person to whom a duty or office is entrusted by someone of higher rank

2

: a store that provides supplies (as food) especially to members of the military and their families