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 movie 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

Kumar purchased the dilapidated former Burger King last year and plans to convert the building into a commissary and test kitchen to create new menu items for his other restaurants and to provide training for his cooks. —Tyler Williams, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2025

Prep work gets done at Gourmet Garage, a commissary kitchen in Loomis. —Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 14 Feb. 2025

Protesters had commissary privileges revoked, were placed in solitary confinement and faced disciplinary write-ups, the complaint alleges. —Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2025

These are just a few of the findings from a nine-month investigation of prison commissaries. —Longreads, 20 Dec. 2024

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

Rhymes for commissary

• accessary
• adversary
• ancillary
• arbitrary
• aviary
• axillary
• beriberi
• breviary
• budgetary
• capillary
• catenary
• cautionary

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