commissar Hear it!

commissar definition

com·mis·sar (käm′ə sär′)

noun

  1. the head of any of the former commissariats in the U.S.S.R.: in 1946, title changed to minister
  2. a representative of the government or communist party in the U.S.S.R., responsible for political orientation, esp. in a military unit

Etymology: Russ komissar < ML commissarius: see commissary

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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