commissionn.1
/kəˈmɪʃn/, U.S. /kəˈmɪʃən/ I. Senses relating to commit v. I.† 9. The delegating of power or authority (to a person). Cf. commission v. 1. Obsolete. rare.
1.
a. Authority committed or entrusted to a person; esp. delegated authority to act in a particular capacity, carry out an investigation or negotiation, perform judicial functions, etc.Frequently with of or genitive, used either of the person holding or the person granting the authority in question.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > delegated authority > [noun]
powerc1300
bailliec1305
commission1344
empery?c1400
authorityc1405
lieutenance1524
subcommission1617
by-authority1622
lieutenancya1631
empowerment1651
attribution1796
1344 Petition (P.R.O.) SC 2-192.9580 (MED) We bisecheþ þi grace & þin help..of þi commission to jon of Draiton, vor to do attachie þulke misdoeres.
c1400 Brut (Rawl. B. 171) 237 He..axede þe keies of þe ȝates of the citee, þrouȝ vertue and strengh of his commission.
a1464 J. Capgrave Abbreuiacion of Cron. (Cambr. Gg.4.12) (1983) 135 He was crowned..be þe bischop of Wynchestir, whech had special commission of þe bischop of Cauntirbury.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Jer. xxix. 31 Semeia hath prophecied vnto you without my commyssion.
1588 A. Fraunce Lawiers Logike i. vii. f. 41 The Lawe abhorreth such thinges as are doone without authoritie or commission.
1607 R. Pricket Ld. Coke his Speech & Charge sig. G3 Our Escheators, who by abusing their commission, doe most intollerable wrong.
1689 R. Milward Selden's Table-talk 43 Eat within your Stomack, act within your Commission.
1709 J. Swift Let. conc. Sacramental Test 13 The Commissions of the Revenue are soon disposed of.
1754 Bp. T. Sherlock Disc. (1759) I. i. 2 The Authority and divine Commission of Christ.
1792 J. Reeves Hist. Law Shipping & Navigation i. 50 Goods taken by way of reprisals, by ships having commission from the commonwealth.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. 355 Dundee..had summoned all the clans which acknowledged his commission to assemble for an expedition into Athol.
1894 Sc. Law Rev. & Sheriff Court Rep. 10 151 The Sheriff-Substitute..granted commission to the British consul at Valparaiso to administer the interrogatories.
1914 Dominion Law Rep. 18 781 Governor Cornwallis, by virtue of his commission,..appointed four Justices of the Peace for Townships of Halifax.
2011 D. Potter Henry VIII & Francis I x. 444 The French had commission to offer 1,800,000 crowns on condition that Boulogne was returned immediately.
b. Military. Authority granted to an officer in the armed forces; (originally) the authority to raise or command an army; (in later use) the authority to serve as an officer. Also: an officer's position or rank.In phrases such as to hold a commission, receive a commission, etc., probably originally with reference to the document conferring such authority (cf. sense 2c).
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military organization > enlistment or recruitment > appointment to rank > [noun]
commissionc1550
c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) xiiii. 91 Quhen pausanias quha hed commissione of the armye of the lacedemoniens quhen he past to defend hellespont he vas depriuit of that dignite be cause he hed intellegens vitht the enemeis of greice.
1562 J. Shute tr. in Two Comm. Turcks ii. f. 11v When the lieutenante of Scutarie vnderstoode this, he aduertized the Senate therof, and receaued commission from them to leuie an armie.
1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 437 Being sent by Sylla with commission of a commander into Sicilie,..he put to death all such as without licence departed from their colours.
1647 T. May Hist. Parl. ii. i. 14 The Lords of the Councell had armed as many as they were able, and given Commissions for raising of severall Regiments.
1705 D. Defoe Double Welcome 16 Cowards must lay their bought Commissions down.
1798 J. Woodforde Diary 2 Sept. (1931) V. 135 Hambleton had got a Captains Commission in the Norfolk Militia.
1844 Queen's Regulations & Orders Army 63 No person is eligible to hold a Commission in the Army until he has attained the age of sixteen years.
1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits xi. 186 In the army, the nobility fill a large part of the high commissions.
1859 W. Collins Queen of Hearts I. 9 Before his mother's death he had obtained his commission.
1915 J. Buchan Thirty-nine Steps x. 253 I joined the New Army..and..got a captain's commission straight off.
1978 M. M. Kaye Far Pavilions i. vii. 121 The purchase of commissions was to be abolished, which meant that the sons of rich men would in future be obliged to rely on ability instead of their purses to obtain promotion.
2014 Press (Christchurch, N.Z.) (Nexis) 15 Mar. 8 He discusses why he declined a commission in the army.
2.
a. A warrant or other document conferring such authority.Frequently merging with sense 3.commission of oyer and terminer, commission of reprisal: see the final element.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > process, writ, warrant, or order > [noun] > commission
commission1397
society > authority > delegated authority > [noun] > authorization > a token or evidence of > written
form1297
commission1397
precept1397
warrant-dormant1423
bill of remembrance1481
warranta1513
warrantment1599
exequatur1788
brown-paper warrant1867
1397–8 Rolls of Parl.: Richard II (Electronic ed.) Parl. Sept. 1397 Pleas §7. m. 4 I was on withe steryng of other men to assente to the makyng of a commissioun; in the which commissioun I..restreyned my lord of his fredom.
1424 in R. R. Sharpe Cal. Let.-bks. London (1909) 294 (MED) That commissiouns be seled of the grete seale and be restitute in to the Chauncerye every halfe yeer and other made of newe.
c1475 Antichrist & Disciples in J. H. Todd Three Treat. J. Wycklyffe (1851) p. cxxxi To catch treue men wiþ writtes & commyssiouns.
1544 in E. Lodge Illustr. Brit. Hist. (1791) I. 89 The Archbishoppe of York shal..bring wt him suche commissions as youe desired.
1572 J. Leslie Table out of Treat. Treasons sig. Aviiv Be they not in place to pen their own Commissions?
1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII ii. iv. 1 Whil'st our Commission from Rome is read, Let silence be commanded. View more context for this quotation
1660 M. Playford tr. Hist. Eng. & Sc. Presbytery (ed. 2) xxiii. 213 A Commission [was] given him written and signed, which he carried to the King.
1700 R. Calef More Wonders Invisible World v. 95 Having read his Commission, the first thing he exerted his Power in, was said to be his giving Orders that Irons should be put upon those in Prison.
1790 R. Beatson Naval & Mil. Mem. II. 193 Pondicherry, whither he was obliged to go to open his commission.
1840 Penny Cycl. XVII. 274/2 The lord chancellor, with other peers appointed by commission under the great seal.
1863 H. Cox Inst. Eng. Govt. i. ix. 155 Commissions of inquiry are issued by the Crown.
1887 Parl. Deb. (New S. Wales) 1st Ser. 25 92/2 The commissioners required their immediate attendance to hear the commission for opening the Parliament read.
1900 Southeastern Reporter 36 140/1 The commission had been signed by the president, and the seal of the United States affixed thereto.
2010 W. T. Horner Ohio's Kingmaker ix. 219 The governor handed him his commission.
b. Navy. The order by which an officer takes command of a ship. Now chiefly historical.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > administration and ceremonial > [noun] > commission of officer to command
commission1462
1462 R. Calle in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 371 Debenham hathe a comyscion of the Kyng expressed oonly for that schip named in hes comyscion.
1669 J. Narborough Jrnl. 15 May in Acct. Several Late Voy. (1694) 1 I received from the Honourable Mr. Wren..my Commission to Command his Majesty's Ship the Sweepstakes.
1750 S. M. Leake Life Sir J. Leake i. iii. 13 The Admiral..gave him a Commission to command the Dartmouth Frigate.
1785 J. Hawkesworth Acct. Voy. Southern Hemisphere (ed. 3) II. i. 3 I was appointed to the command of his Majesty's stoop the Swallow, by a commission bearing date the first of July 1766.
1834 F. Marryat Peter Simple III. xv. 194 Our new captain..came on board the hulk..and read his commission.
1886 Sunday Reading for Young No. 43. 342/2 I hold his Majesty's commission as captain of this ship.
1912 Eng. Rep. 129 598 The new commission was delivered to Allan, as commander of the cutter, and who thereupon resumed the command of her.
2014 M. L. Sinowitz Patrick O'Brian's Bodies at Sea 152 Once Aubrey has received his commission and his orders, O'Brian usually establishes his relationship with that ship quite early.
c. Military. The warrant by which an officer in the army or navy exercises command; (originally) a warrant which authorized the holder to raise, equip, and command a body of soldiers in the name of the issuing authority (now historical); (now) the warrant or certificate by which certain higher ranking officers are appointed. Cf. warrant n.1 14a.In the British and Commonwealth armed forces, officers from the rank of second lieutenant (in the army), sub lieutenant (in the navy), or pilot officer (in the air force) are appointed by commission. In the United States forces, the lowest-ranked commissioned officers are second lieutenant (in the army and air force) and ensign (in the navy).From the late 17th to the late 19th cent., commissions for ranks from cornet or ensign to lieutenant colonel in cavalry and infantry regiments of the British Army were normally purchased.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military organization > enlistment or recruitment > appointment to rank > [noun] > warrant of rank
commission1577
warrant1786
1577 R. Holinshed Hist. Scotl. 456/2 in Chron. I He sheweth foorth the Kings commission, instituting him Liuetenant [sic] to the Kyng of that armie.
1649 E. Massey Short Declar. 4 I was..induced to receive a Commission, as Lieutenant Colonell, to the Right Honourable the Earl of Stamford, under the Hand and Seal of His Excellency the Earl of Essex.
1685 Earl of Moray Let. 13 May in M. Napier Mem. Life Visct. Dundee (1862) III. v. ii. 464 The King ordered two commissions to be drawn, for your brother and Claverouse to be Brigadiers.
1704 London Gaz. No. 4004/2 Three Colonels who had Commissions in their Pockets from Ragotzi.
1834 F. Marryat Peter Simple III. ii. 15 My commission [as lieutenant] had been made out some days before.
1896 ‘O. Optic’ Lieutenant at Eighteen xxv. 451 ‘Lieutenant Lyon..,’ continued the general, ‘is promoted from the rank of second to that of first lieutenant; and I have the pleasure of presenting to him his commission.’
1970 J. Marshall-Cornwall Grant as Mil. Commander iii. xvii. 132 Lincoln in the presence of the Cabinet formally handed to him [sc. Ulysses S. Grant] his commission as Lieutenant-General in the U.S. Army.
2014 Northwich Guardian (Nexis) 17 July After success in the selection process they then received their Commissions from RAF Cranwell in June.
3. Charge, instruction, or command to act in a particular manner on behalf of a superior authority. Also as a count noun. Now somewhat archaic (chiefly in historical contexts).Frequently with of or genitive, usually used of the authority giving the order.Frequently merging with senses 1a, 2a. commission of array, commission of sewers: see the final element.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > command > command or bidding > [noun]
willeOE
i-bodc888
bodea1000
hestc1000
bedec1175
bodewordc1175
device1307
commandmentc1386
assignment1393
hetec1394
commandinga1400
commissionc1400
willinga1425
mandament1442
behesting1582
command1611
assign1633
jussion1773
c1400 Brut (Rawl. B. 171) 206 (MED) Þe Kyng made him chiefteyn and Gouernour of þe lande by his commissioun.
1481 W. Caxton tr. Hist. Reynard Fox (1970) 6 Commanded by strayte commyssyons and maundements that euery beest shold come thyder.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Ezra viii. 36 They delyuered the kynges commyssion unto the kynges officers.
1556 J. Heywood Spider & Flie lx. 10 His looke was commission, silence to commaund.
1653 J. Hane Jrnl. (1896) 2 Wee met with a small man of warr, which being licenced to robb by a comission from the Scottish King, made an attempt upon us.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vii. 118 Such Commission from above I have receav'd, to answer thy desire Of knowledge within bounds. View more context for this quotation
1670 T. Blount Νομο-λεξικον: Law-dict. Commission of Anticipation, was a commission under the Great Seal, to collect a Subsidy before the day. Commission of Association, is a Commission under the Great Seal, to associate two or more learned persons, with the several Justices in the several Circuits and Counties in Wales.
1745 E. Young Consolation 32 Stars teach, as well as shine: At Nature's Birth, Thus, their Commission ran—‘Be kind to Man’.
1869 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (1876) III. xiii. 297 They gave him no direct commission to bind them to any consent.
1915 J. W. Garner tr. J. Brissaud Hist. French Public Law xii. 438 A commission of the king had always been necessary in order that it might be constituted and that it might hold its sessions.
2010 E. King King Stephen (Electronic ed.) It mattered not that they claimed that such sacrilege took place with the express or tacit commission of the king or magnates.
4.
a. An order to undertake a particular task or duty; (now frequently) a request, instruction, or order to produce a particular (esp. artistic, musical, or literary) work, now esp. in return for payment. Also: the task or duty itself.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > duties > [noun]
wikec1000
workOE
wikenc1175
misterc1225
curec1300
officec1330
ward1338
duty1375
parta1382
businessc1400
commissionc1450
besoigne1474
roomth?1504
function1533
exercitation1737
pidgin1807
job1841
biz1862
society > authority > delegated authority > [noun] > a commission given to anyone
carkc1330
charge1393
commissionc1450
charche1534
credit1537
commandment1592
missure1615
assignmentc1848
commish1856
c1450 J. Capgrave Solace of Pilgrims (Bodl. 423) (1911) 83 (MED) Þat day..haue I a special commissioun of our lord þat I descende to purgatorie.
1570 G. Buchanan Chamæleon in Vernac. Writings (1892) 44 He did his commissioun sa weill.
1600 Maydes Metamorphosis v. sig. Gv Phy. Tell me youth, art a straunger here or no? Io. Is your commission sir, to examine me so?
1696 tr. J. Dumont New Voy. Levant xxvi. 351 Those who undertake such a commission.
1718 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 16 Mar. (1965) I. 387 You have at length found a commission for me that I can answer without disapointing your expectation.
1795 Ld. Auckland Let. 23 Jan. in Jrnl. & Corr. (1862) III. 31 Captain Bentinck..undertook at my request to go to Brussels on a commission to the Comte de Mercy.
1853 C. Dickens Let. 12 Sept. (1993) VII. 145 If I can execute any little commission for you.
1862 A. Trollope Orley Farm II. xxxiii. 261 It was indeed a terrible commission, and her readiness to undertake it had come not from any feeling on her own part that she was fit for the work.
1925 E. Hemingway Let. 22 Apr. (2013) II. 323 I got a commission to write a book on bull fighting.
1948 J. Rosenberg Rembrandt (1980) i. 26 Rembrandt's pupils..were soon more successful than their master and received the important commissions.
1992 Daily Mirror TV Weekly 3 Oct. 13/1 Bea and Evie accept a commission to design costumes for a ballet company.
b. Something (esp. an artistic, musical, or literary work) produced in response to such a request, instruction, or order.
ΚΠ
1828 T. Roscoe tr. L. Lanzi Hist. Painting in Italy IV. 96 The above work [sc. a painting by Correggio] was a commission [It. l'opera fu ordinata] given by..the superior of the monastery.
1830 A. Cunningham Lives Brit. Painters III. 54 This statue was a commission..from Garrick.
1846 B. R. Haydon Lect. Painting & Design I. 69 Why, sir, I am painting a commission for Lord Egremont.
1875 M. E. Braddon Hostages to Fortune III. xvii. 282 The play is a commission, and whether the Chamberlain licenses the piece or not, the translator must be paid.
1931 Art Bull. Mar. 24 The artist..was trained to work with the pen, and carried over the technique with which he was most familiar into his painted commissions.
1966 N.Y. Times Mag. 28 Aug. 109/2 Work has gone smoothly on this opera, but he detests writing commissions on a deadline.
1990 D. H. Melhem Heroism in New Black Poetry i. 24 Despite the poet's affection for the city.., most of her Chicago poems were commissions.
2006 C. Fowler in C. Fowler & G. Helfield Representing Rural viii. 137 Some earlier films were commissions, through his position as ‘official cameraman of Ostend’.
5.
a. A body of people charged with a particular function or task, esp. an investigative, judicial, regulatory, or administrative one; a body of commissioners.Charity Commission, European Commission, High Commission, Law Commission, price commission, Royal Commission, etc.: see the first element. Commission of Eyre, commission of review: see the final element.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > types of body or spec. bodies > [noun] > commission
commission1462
1462 J. Russe in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 285 A comyssyon..shal tomorwyn syttyn... And the substaunce of jentilmen and yemen of Lodynglond be assygnid to be afore the seyd commesyonerez.
1474 in T. Dickson Accts. Treasurer Scotl. (1877) I. 50 Gevin to Lyone heralde, passande in Inglande in the commissione with the ambaxiatouris.
a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) II. f. cxxiv The whiche Commyssions..spente a great parte of the Lent in disputacions of this matier.
1596 J. Harington Apol. sig. Oviii He is busie sitting on a commission, (I haue forgotten in what Benche it is).
1625 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 123 They are in effect no more, then Standing Commissions; Save that they have greater Authority.
1673 Minutes of Council (Fort James, N.Y.) in Documents Colonial Hist. N.-Y. (1881) XIII. 463 The Commission for ye Indyan Affayres so farre to continue in force as shall relate to keep ye Indyans in good Order.
1700 J. Gordon Diary 18 July (1949) 98 My Father..was alarumed with a design the Commission of Assembly (then making their peregrinations through the north) had to cite him befor them at Aberdeen.
1766 T. Mortimer New Hist. Eng. III. xii. 17/1 Several of them were admitted into the commission for the lieutenancy of the city of London.
1827 H. Hallam Constit. Hist. Eng. I. iv. 215 Several temporary commissions had sitten under this act with continually augmented powers.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 354 The power which the Lord Lieutenants exercised in other parts of the kingdom was in London entrusted to a Commission of eminent citizens.
1871 R. Rainy & J. Mackenzie Life Cunningham viii. 110 In November 1835 the Commission of the General Assembly, or Standing Committee of the whole house, held its ordinary quarterly meeting.
1919 Jrnl. Afr. Soc. 18 247 Events are apt to dispose somewhat drastically of the recommendations of Parliamentary Commissions.
1951 S. Spender World within World iv. 215 Prieto del Rio..represented the Republican Government in the commission administering the International Zone.
2013 Daily Tel. 27 Sept. 21/2 A group of Tory MEPs pressed the commission to make a swift and ‘crystal clear’ public statement.
b. The commission of the peace, considered as a body of Justices; esp. in to put on the commission. See commission of (the) peace n. (b) at Phrases 2. Now historical and rare.
ΚΠ
1838 W. Bell Dict. Law Scotl. 249 He is appointed by a writing, signed by the Sovereign, which is a warrant to the Lord Chancellor to put him on the commission.
1879 A. Trollope John Caldigate II. ii. 19 He was put on the commission, and was in the way to become the most active Justice of the Peace in those parts.
1930 J. R. Tanner Tudor Constit. Documents 454 Lawyers ceased to display any eagerness to serve on the Commission.
1981 J. S. Roskell Parl. & Politics in Late Medieval Eng. II. v. 103 In May 1408 he had been re-included in the commission of the peace for Wiltshire, and in November of the same year for the first time had been put on the commission for Somerset.
6. The condition of holding commissioned authority or being under authoritative charge; the condition of being in readiness for action or use. Chiefly in in commission, into commission. Cf. out of commission at Phrases 4.
a. The condition of holding or exercising commissioned authority; esp. that invested in a Justice of the Peace (cf. commission of (the) peace n. at Phrases 2). Cf. Phrases 4a. Now rare.
ΚΠ
a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) II. f. cxixv/1 The archebyshoppe of wynchester..was put in commyssyon..to make or treate a peace and vnyty bytwene the two realmes of Englande and of Fraunce.
1547 Bp. S. Gardiner Let. 14 Oct. (1933) 393 Whenne I was in commission with my Lord Gret Master and thErle of Southampton for altering the Courte of Augmentacion.
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 iii. ii. 87 No sir Iohn, it is my cosen Scilens in commission with me. View more context for this quotation
1679 P. Walsh Treat. Oath Supremacy 22 It seems meant, that that Matter should be left to the Clergy: For, why else should Sixteen of them be put into Commission?
1724 S. Blackerby 2nd Pt. Justice of Peace his Compan. Introd. p. xi There may come a Time, when Men otherwise qualified may get into the Commission of the Peace, and some may be put into Commission, who..have no Time to read large Volumes.
1784 New & Gen. Biogr. Dict. (new ed.) II. 284 The same year, he was in commission to turn out some of the reformed bishops.
1845 H. G. Cotton Treat. Powers & Duties Justice of Peace Illinois i. i. 5 The power and authority of a justice of the peace is limited to be exercised only within the county where he is in commission.
1853 H. Curling Forest Youth xxx. 151/2 His worship the mayor, attended by..the several beadles in commission within our walls, will have the honour of waiting upon your lordship.
1886 Whitaker's Almanack 181 Naval Service..Flag officers in commission..Flag officers on the active list.
1903 in Official Documents Commonw. Pennsylvania (1906) VIII. 63 The person who shall be successful in receiving the largest number of votes cast at the election..for that office will go into commission.
1954 J. C. Hutcheson Vanderbilt Law Rev. June in Amer. Bar Assoc. Jrnl. Nov. 1000/2 He is ‘in commission the oldest Federal judge in active service save one’.
b. British Politics. With reference to an office or official body: the condition of being placed by royal warrant in the charge of a number of people, instead of a single person. Cf. sense 5a.The officials thus placed in charge of certain high offices of state are known as Lords Commissioners (see lord n. 12).
ΚΠ
1668 S. Pepys Diary 5 Nov. (1976) IX. 351 An argument to insinuate the putting of the Admiralty into commission.
1677 T. Middleton Appendix 35 in J. Spottiswood Hist. Church Scotl. (ed. 4) The Second Officer is the Lord High Treasurer... This Office is now in Commission.
1702 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion I. iii. 166 The Treasury was for the present put into Commission.
1796 S. Perry Hist. Sketch French Revol. I. 30 The commission of lieutenancy was in commission after the death of the duke of Northumberland.
1850 H. Martineau Hist. Eng. during 30 Years' Peace II. v. ii. 223 The Great Seal was for some time in commission, from the difficulty of finding a Chancellor.
1892 Catholic News 23 July 5/2 There is some talk of her Majesty putting the Mistress-ship of the Robes into commission.
1902 Parl. Deb. 4th Ser. 109 1289/1 Experience..showed that the burden of responsibility was too great for any single man to bear, and then the present system of putting into commission the duties of Lord High Admiral was instituted.
1997 R. A. Chapman Treasury in Public Policy-making (2002) ii. 15 The last Lord Treasurer, the Earl of Shrewsbury, resigned in 1714 and the office has been in commission ever since.
c. With reference to a warship or (later) military aircraft: the condition of being authorized and prepared for active service. Cf. Phrases 4b.
ΚΠ
1702 J. Dennis Ess. on Navy ii. i. 44 This would prevent the keeping our great Ships in Pay the whole Winter, or putting them in Commission and Pay in December.
1740 Hist. Acct. Naval Atchievements Eng. over Spaniards (ed. 3) 102 Soon after, thirty-three of his Majesty's Ships were put into Commission, and Warrants were issued for impressing Seamen.
1796 Monthly Mag. Apr. 246/1 The British Navy.—The total of the ships in commission, amount to 435.
1861 Sat. Rev. 14 Dec. 602 Several of these vessels are ordered for commission at the different dockyards.
1882 W. G. Hamley Traseaden Hall III. 88 There are always some ships in commission even in times of peace.
1927 Daily Tel. 22 Mar. 10/7 Limiting the number of shore-based aircraft..in commission.
2005 Courier-Mail (Queensland, Austral.) (Nexis) 7 Oct. 8 It is indeed an honour and a privilege to bring a ship into commission.
d. In extended use: the condition of being ready and able to function or to be used; working order. Cf. Phrases 4c.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > [noun] > condition of being operative
gestion1599
working order1725
operation1792
running order1811
commission1829
commish1856
operationality1939
1829 D. Jerrold Black-ey'd Susan ii. i. 28 Is she yet in commission ?—does she live?
1892 Ann. Rep. N.Y. Dept. Docks 188 The derrick went into commission at West Fifty-second Street Section,..and has been engaged pumping mud from the river bottom.
1915 Woman at Home Dec. 387/1 She lost little time in putting her charming house in Curzon Street in commission again.
1961 Fowler's Mech. Engineer's Pocket Bk. (ed. 63) 248 It is highly important that the Super-heater shall be under steam and working in a normal way whenever the Boiler is in commission.
2010 Right Vision News (Nexis) 31 Oct. Additional oil and gas production flows from Manzalai field, which went into commission in Oct 2009.
7.
a. Authority given to act as agent or factor for another party in conducting business or trade; (hence) a system of trading in which a dealer acts as agent for another, typically being paid a percentage of the value involved in each transaction. Now chiefly in on commission at Phrases 6.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > brokerage > [noun] > commission
commission1615
1615 E. Grimeston tr. P. d'Avity Estates 429 Sometime this money is..[given into] the hands of some great merchant, who receiues it by commission [Fr. commission]..and makes payments, & he is called the Gardian.
1695 W. Carter Usurpations of France Woollen Manuf. Eng. 23 A Merchant of my Acquaintance in that City, had Commission for the buying up the Value of Fifty Thousand Pounds Sterling per Annum.
1725 D. Defoe Compl. Eng. Tradesman I. Introd. 6 Sold by commission from the makers.
1845 J. A. Russell Treat. Laws Factors & Brokers 167 If goods are consigned to joint factors for sale, but..they dissolve partnership, and the commission to sell is thereupon assumed by one, that one will be liable to the principal.
1884 W. Shepherd Prairie Experiences 51 The cattle are turned into the big stockyard, and sold by commission.
1919 Argosy 4 Oct. 125/1 You have no right to come in and arbitrarily take away merchandise which I sell under commission to gain a livelihood.
1962 Proc. Ann. Meeting Life Insurance Managem. Assoc. 87 One manager tells his prospective recruit: ‘While you are financing, you are working for us. When you sell under commission, we are working for you.’
b. Payment, or a payment, for services or work done as an agent in a commercial transaction, typically a set percentage of the value involved.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > payment for labour or service > fee for services rendered > [noun] > commission
provision1589
brokage-money1591
factorage1599
brokerage1622
commission1658
crimpage1732
commish1856
1658 Distinct Acct. Moneys for Relief Protestants Piemont 111 (table) Paid Commission for remission of the 65340 Liv. from Geneva into the Valleys.
1725 D. Defoe New Voy. round World i. 21 The Merchants had their several Commissions and other Profits upon the Sale.
1832 C. Babbage Econ. Machinery & Manuf. (ed. 2) xxxi. 321 He must also pay a commission, usually five per cent., to his London agent.
a1860 C. Fenn Eng. & Foreign Funds (1883) 127 The members of the Stock Exchange are called Jobbers and Brokers. The broker deals with the jobber for his principal, and is remunerated by commission.
1909 Manitoba Morning Free Press 16 Oct. 13/1 The settlers were also to pay all such charges as quayage, wharfage, warehousing and commission for sales.
1957 V. S. Naipaul Mystic Masseur (1964) vi. 106 Some of them wanted a fifteen-cent commission on every copy.
2000 New Jersey Lawyer (Nexis) 17 Apr. The seller ordinarily is liable for the commission if the property is sold to any non-excepted buyer during the listing term.
8. A period of time during which a warship is in active service. Cf. sense 6c.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > administration and ceremonial > [noun] > commissioning of ship > period of commission of ship
commission1846
1846 J. Wilson Outl. of Naval Surg. i. 5 The period which may be called probationary in the career of a ship's company, is the first year of the ship's commission, and the first part of the second.
1882 W. H. White Man. Naval Archit. (ed. 2) vi. 231 The commanding officer of one of these ships has stated ‘that they may go through a commission and never heel or roll more than one or two degrees’.
1915 Naval Rev. 9 132 A huge, long, paying-off pennant told that her commission was at an end.
2008 P. Morrison Loyal & Steadfast (e-book, accessed 7 Nov. 2014) The ship prepared a booklet, The Cruel C, celebrating this 1955–57 commission.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > delegated authority > investing with delegated authority > [noun]
authorizing?a1425
authorization1472
enablinga1586
commissioning1622
commissionating1645
empowerment1651
commission1883
1883 Manch. Guardian 17 Oct. 5/3 The commission of the licensing power to Town Councils and County Boards.
II. Senses relating to commit v. II.
10.
a. An instance of committing a sin, crime, etc.; a reprehensible act.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > doing > [noun] > an act or deed
deedc825
i-wurhtc888
workOE
casec1325
acta1393
actiona1393
operationc1395
featc1420
exploitc1425
commissionc1475
factc1487
practice1547
part1561
practisement1581
issuea1616
performancea1616
performenta1641
factum1641
coup1791
stunt1904
c1475 (c1445) R. Pecock Donet (1921) 96 (MED) To renne þoruȝ bi siȝt..remembring and knowleching in þis cours alle þe omyssiouns of hem and alle commyssiouns aȝens hem.
1612 J. Cotta Short Discouerie Dangers Ignorant Practisers Physicke ii. ii. 89 Their many, ordinarie, rash, ignorant and vnskilfull errors and commissions against the health and life of many.
1659 H. Hammond Paraphr. & Annot. Psalms (li. 14 Paraphr.) 263 Deliver me from this one, as from those other foul Commissions.
1728 S. Phillips Three Plain Pract. Disc. ii. 74 If they have fallen into any sinful Commissions.
1817 M. Dudley Let. 14 Dec. in E. Dudley Life of Mary Dudley xvi. 299 All my short comings, my errings, strayings, commissions and omissions.
1848 Pennsylvania Jrnl. Prison Discipline & Philanthropy 3 205 The larger number of second commissions of crime by liberated convicts occurs soon after their liberation.
1939 Sheboygan (Wisconsin) Press 4 Aug. 3/2 No one will claim that when civil law clearly forbids games of chance at church benefits a commission of a sin is enjoined.
2007 J. J. Zaborney in J. P. Rodriguez Encycl. Slave Resistance & Rebellion I. 26 Legal distinctions between commissions of arson against houses, barns, or crops..blurred rapidly.
b. The committing of crime, sin, etc.; the perpetration of a reprehensible act.Frequently in sin of commission (contrasted with sin of omission n. at omission n. Phrases).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > doing > [noun] > of something bad
perpetrationc1429
committing1463
commissionc1485
commitment1611
perpetrating1615
committal1616
the mind > goodness and badness > wrongdoing > wrongful deed > [noun] > performance of
committing1463
commissionc1485
commitment1611
committal1616
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 172 Sen the lyf may nocht be sauf, but commissioun of dedely syn, than suld he erar antre the lyf na brek his ath.
1561 tr. Erasmus Certayne Rules Christes Souldiers sig. Miiii The diuers and many incommodyties, whiche commonly followe a sinner in this worlde, should feare a christen man from commission of sinne.
1599 Bp. J. King Lect. Ionas (new ed.) xxxvii. 502 As great displeasure we reape in the omission of duety, as in commission of iniquity.
a1613 E. Brerewood Enq. Langs. & Relig. (1614) xxiii. 166 They presently vpon commission of sinne resort to the confessour.
1660 R. Coke Elements Power & Subjection 127 in Justice Vindicated The commission of anything against the laws is a sin of injustice.
1687 J. Norris Coll. Misc. 379 The Positiveness of sins of Commission lies..in the executed act.
a1708 W. Beveridge Private Thoughts Christian Life (1712) 127 If the Love of Money be the Root of so many Sins of Omission, how many Sins of Commission must needs sprout from it?
1743 H. Fielding Jonathan Wild iii. iii, in Misc. III. 207 In the Commission of Murther.
1846 W. S. Landor Imaginary Conversat. in Wks. II. 43/1 There are very few men..who delight in the commission of cruelty.
1885 Law Times 80 116/1 Charged with the commission of offences in foreign countries.
1936 Harvard Law Rev. 49 566 For treason or felony, an officer may arrest if he has reasonable belief both in the commission of the crime and in the guilt of the arrestee.
2000 J. Caughie Television Drama iii. 81 Whereas the disquiet about television arose from ‘sins of commission’—from the conviction that its capacity to influence people was often missed—the dissatisfaction, the other main element made in the submissions made to us, arose from the ‘sins of omission’—from the conviction that many of the best potentialities of television were simply not being realised.
2007 B. W. Lindeboom Venus' Owne Clerk v. 236 The spirit's consent to sin is tantamount to its commission.
Phrases
P1.
letter of commission n. (frequently in plural) an (official) document authorizing a person to perform a certain task or assume a specified role; spec. a letter of introduction presented to a foreign government by a High Commissioner or other envoy; also in figurative context.
ΚΠ
1442 T. Bekington Let. in G. Williams Mem. Reign Henry VI (1872) II. 182 The pouaire whiche ye have yeven unto us by your lettres of commission..is..plainly expired.
1572 J. Bridges tr. R. Gwalther Hundred, Threescore & Fiftene Homelyes vppon Actes Apostles i. 9 Princes make for their Ambassadours letters of commission.., in the which not onely is contayned..thinges, they haue to doe, but also the credite and authoritie they be put in.
1604 J. Fraser Offer maid to Gentilman of Qualitie 73 The kirk is Gods Ambassadour sent to declaire his will, hauing the scriptures for lettres of commission and credet.
1750 King of Prussia's Plan for reforming Admin. of Justice 43 A Clause in all the Letters of Commission.., importing, that the Commissaries shall acquit themselves, in a limited Time, of the Commission which they have in Charge.
1852 Democratic Rev. Feb. 160/1 The Marine Committee gave him unlimited authority..in a letter of commission.
1876 Glasgow Herald 18 Oct. 5/2 Mr Watson, appeared within the bar, and presented his letters of commission as Her Majesty's Advocate.
1969 A. B. Cobban King's Hall iii. 103 In the letters of commission Arundel is expressly forbidden to exercise any authority in this matter.
2014 Eastern Eye 28 Mar. 9 The Queen..gave an audience last week at Buckingham Palace to Ranjan Mathai, who formally presented his letters of commission as Indian high commissioner to the UK.
P2.
commission of (the) peace n. British Law (a) the authority invested in a Justice of the Peace by the Lord Chancellor; the condition of holding this authority (cf. sense 6a); (b) the Justices of the Peace in a particular jurisdiction considered as a body. Now chiefly historical.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > process, writ, warrant, or order > [noun] > commission > types of commission
commission of oyer and terminer1414
Commission of Sewers1444
commission of the peace?1457
oyer and terminer1469
commission of rebellion1589
commission of lunacy1679
commission of bankruptcy1684
?1457 T. Playter in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 174 I spake to my lord Chaunceler how my maister and ye and your frendes were put owte of the comyssyon of pees.
1592 R. Greene Thirde Pt. Conny-catching sig. Bv Knowne to be within commission of the peace.
?c1663 B. Whitelocke Diary (1990) 89 The Lord Keeper Coventry putt him into the Commissions of the peace for Bucks, & for Oxfordshire, his house standing in the confines of both Countyes.
1700 P. B. Help to Magistrates vii. 15 Six Justices in Commission of the Peace, with the Justices of Assize.
1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield II. xi. 179 As I am in the commission of the peace, I undertake to secure you.
1815 W. Scott Guy Mannering II. x. 135 I am still in the commission of the peace there, though I have ceased to be sheriff.
1886 P. A. Ashworth tr. R. Gneist Hist. Eng. Constit. II. xliii. 321 The commission of peace included, as its chief constituents, the great landed proprietors of the county.
1911 Encycl. Brit. XXIII. 319/2 Each of the ridings of Yorkshire has its own lord lieutenant and commission of the peace.
1959 D. Knowles Relig. Orders Eng. III. ix. 122 The prior..was for many years on the commission of peace.
2003 J. Baker Oxf. Hist. Laws Eng. VI. xiv. 257 The commission of the peace included an oyer and terminer jurisdiction,..but it did not extend to treason.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > delegated authority > [verb (intransitive)] > have authoritatively committed to one to do
to have it in (one's) commissiona1500
a1500 (c1425) Andrew of Wyntoun Oryg. Cron. Scotl. (Nero) vii. l. 2688 Þar bad þai; And þar gaf absolucioun, As þai had in commyssioun.
1550 J. Hooper Ouersight Jonas v. f. cix Therfore let suche as be of God do as they haue in commission from hym.
1635 J. Swan Speculum Mundi vii. 351 Neither can the devil every day have it in his commission to go and blow down houses upon the heads of Jobs children.
1684 J. Bunyan Pilgrim's Progress 2nd Pt. ii. 144 I have it in Commission, to comfort the feeble minded, and to support the weak. View more context for this quotation
1745 H. Winder Crit. & Chronol. Hist. Rise Knowl. I. xvi. 230 He [sc. the Ambassador] might have it in Commission to transact the Affair of sending this Copy.
1775 S. Palmer Calamy's Nonconformist's Memorial I. 240 The officers not having it in their commission to break open doors, [he] did not actually get his goods.
a1827 R. Hawker Poor Man's Morning & Evening Portions 24 July in Wks. (1829) VIII. 588 The apostle had it in commission to tell the church, ‘not to be forgetful to entertain strangers’.
P4. out of commission. Cf. sense 6.In all senses frequently in to put (also take) out of commission.† a. Of a person: no longer having or exercising authority in a particular role or office. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > inaction > in a state of inactivity [phrase] > out of action
out of order1530
out of commission1533
on the shelfa1577
out of action1703
out of blast1832
society > travel > travel by water > launching a vessel > [phrase] > laid up or out of commission
out of commission1533
in ordinary1754
high and dry1851
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > disadvantage > uselessness > useless [phrase] > unserviceable
out of order1530
out of commission1533
out of tune1638
on the blink1901
on the fritz1924
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > disadvantage > uselessness > non-use > not in use [phrase]
out of commission1533
at libertya1690
1533 T. More Apologye xl. f. 225v My selfe whan I was chauncellour, vppon such secrete enformacyon haue put some out of commyssyon and offyce of iustyce of the peace.
1651 J. Musgrave Musgraves Musle Broken 10 They could fawn, flatter and dissemble with me; professing they knew I was glad to be out of Commission with them, and how prejudicial the same was to my other business.
1700 P. B. Help to Magistrates xii. 18 Where a Justice fails to do Justice, he may be put out of Commission, and Punished.
1803 Morning Post & Gazetteer 29 Jan. The collection of the internal taxes having been completed in some of the States, the officers employed in it are of course out of commission.
b. Of a ship: not in use or active service.
ΚΠ
1740 Gentleman's Mag. Dec. 592/1 If large Ships, even out of Commission, require so large an Expense, why do we build or maintain so many to impoverish the Nation?
1768 S. Neville Diary 20 Sept. (1950) ii. 42 The harbour is full of ships in & out of commission.
1890 Globe 13 Sept. 7/2 The cruiser Forth..pays out of commission to-day.
1926 Motor Boating Dec. 45/1 The owners will find their craft in as good condition when spring comes, as when the boats were taken out of commission in the fall.
1997 S. Antal Wampum Denied iii. xii. 288 These riddled ships remained out of commission for the duration of the war.
c. In extended use: not in service or working order; out of use; unable to function.
ΚΠ
1828 W. E. Parry Narr. Attempt to reach N. Pole 112 It was almost calm,..the thermometer within the boats rising as high as 66º, which put our fur dresses nearly ‘out of commission’.
1860 Daily News 13 Nov. 4/6 Neither is the smooth bore likely to be put altogether out of commission by the rifled gun.
1900 R. Kipling in Daily Mail 1 May 4/5 A whispering Guardsman, half of whose larynx had been put out of commission by a down-dropping bullet.
1954 R. P. Bissell High Water iii. 33 By the time we get to Dubuque the locks will be out of commission.
1977 C. Maclean St Kilda (ed. 2) xi. 154 The Selfridges radio had been put permanently out of commission.
2004 N.Y. Mag. 22 Nov. 103/2 Because of the scars the procedure leaves, I was out of commission for weeks on end.
P5.
a.
commission of rebellion n. English Law (now historical) a writ empowering a person to apprehend as a rebel (rebel n.1 3) someone who has not appeared before a court on being summoned.Commissions of rebellion were abolished in 1841.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > process, writ, warrant, or order > [noun] > commission > types of commission
commission of oyer and terminer1414
Commission of Sewers1444
commission of the peace?1457
oyer and terminer1469
commission of rebellion1589
commission of lunacy1679
commission of bankruptcy1684
1589 Sir T. Smith's Common-welth (rev. ed.) iii. iv. 122 The processe is a subpena, an attachment, a proclamation of rebellion, and a commission of rebellion.
1622 T. Powell Direct. Search of Rec. in Chancerie 5 The third sort of Records of Chancerie, are called Bundles: In which are contayned..4. All Attachments, Proclamations, and Commissions of Rebellion.
1684 P. Brunskell Vindic. Case Greenwax Fines 10 Vexatious Plaintiffs are..keeping Defendants from an Equitable Relief two or three years with Contempts, until they swell to Commissions of Rebellion.
1721 G. Jacob Treat. Laws i. 206 If he stands further out in Contempt, then a Commission of Rebellion may be issued forth directed to the Sheriff, &c. for apprehending him.
1796 C. Barton Hist. Treat. Suit in Equity 86 On moving for a Serjeant at Arms, the Commission of Rebellion is always produced, and shewn to the Court.
1837 F. Palgrave Merchant & Friar (1844) ii. 60 A commission of rebellion will bring you to your senses.
1902 A. T. Carter Hist. Eng. Legal Inst. xv. 167 The Chancellors..invented..the commission of rebellion, on which their officers proceeded to break open houses in execution of the decree and arrest the party as a rebel.
2013 S. Wade Jane Austen's Aunt behind Bars i. 27 He was served with a subpoena and then, after failing to appear in court, with a commission of rebellion.
b.
commission of lunacy n. Law (now historical) a commission issued by a court, authorizing an inquiry as to the soundness of a person's mind; (also) an inquiry held as a result of such a commission.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > process, writ, warrant, or order > [noun] > commission > types of commission
commission of oyer and terminer1414
Commission of Sewers1444
commission of the peace?1457
oyer and terminer1469
commission of rebellion1589
commission of lunacy1679
commission of bankruptcy1684
1679 Tryals Sir G. Wakeman, W. Marshall, W. Rumley, & J. Corker 32 I should think a Commission of Lunacy could not be taken out against him.
1731 Grub-St. Jrnl. 2 Sept. On Sunday last a Commission of Lunacy was sealed against a noble Peer of this realm.
1803 J. Mackintosh Def. Peltier in Wks. (1846) III. 268 Whether a commission of lunacy be not..more fitted to the author's case.
1893 Times 22 June 10/5 After a commission of lunacy had been held, he was declared to be sane, and was liberated by order of the Court.
1919 Rep. Supreme Court Georgia 148 627 Though there was an existing commission of lunacy, the wife was as a matter of fact sane.
1999 Albion 31 506 Marsden..was denied the dubious legal remedy offered by a commission of lunacy, really designed for the preservation of the property rather than the care of the person.
c.
commission of bankruptcy (also bankrupt) n. Law (now historical) an order appointing commissioners to administer a bankrupt's estate on behalf of the creditors.Under English law, a commission of bankruptcy was issued by the Lord Chancellor; the practice was abolished in 1831, by the statute 2 & 3 Will. IV, c.56, §12.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > process, writ, warrant, or order > [noun] > commission > types of commission
commission of oyer and terminer1414
Commission of Sewers1444
commission of the peace?1457
oyer and terminer1469
commission of rebellion1589
commission of lunacy1679
commission of bankruptcy1684
1684 London Gaz. No. 1975/4 The Commissioners executing a Commission of Bankrupt against John and Thomas Temple..have appointed to make a Dividence upon the 20th of November next.
1695 Case Creditors R. Vyner (single sheet) If the Commission of Bankruptcy can be renewed and proceeded upon..Then was Sr. Roberts Will of no effect.
1713 London Gaz. No. 5107/3 A Commission of Bankrupt is awarded against Samuel Stable.
1752 Gen. Advertiser 2 June 1/2 To be sold..a large Parcel of fine well finished Kid Gloves, purchased under a Commission of Bankruptcy.
1806 W. Cranch Rep. Supreme Court U.S. 2 359 To say then that the commission of bankruptcy, should prevent the United States from attaching the effects of the bankrupt, is in direct repugnance to the section.
1853 T. I. Wharton Digest Cases Pennsylvania (ed. 6) 221 The effect of a supersedeas lawfully ordered is to annihilate a commission of bankruptcy.
1915 G. H. Boker Cases in Equity ii. 117 [Case heard in Chancery, 1824.] The plaintiffs having purchased and taken assignments of certain debts which had been proved under two Commissions of Bankrupt, agreed to sell them to the defendant for 2s. 6d. in the pound.
1996 R. L. Van Tuyl & J. N. A. Groenendijk Van Tuyl Chron. xi. 207 A commission of bankruptcy was issued against him, and his creditors descended.
P6. on commission: according to the principle of commission (sense 7); (of an agent or salesperson) paid a percentage of the value involved in each transaction he or she completes; working under this system of payment.
ΚΠ
a1790 B. Franklin Autobiogr. (1981) 39 He..intended to establish a Correspondence, & obtain Goods to sell on Commission.
1821 Sat. Evening Post (Philadelphia) 18 Aug. 1/1 He will sell all kinds of Leather on Commission for Country Tanners and others.
1840 W. H. Dawson Irish Facts & Eng. Fictions 7 Absenteeism works worst when the land agent is paid on commission, and when is at the same time legal adviser to the landlord.
1887 Pall Mall Gaz. 3 Mar. 11/2 The method of publication on commission, by which the publisher professed simply to charge 15 per cent. on all sales.
1952 W. Plomer Museum Pieces (1961) xi. 83 Mrs Y. made a good living by exploiting her social connexions in Europe and America to sell works of art privately on commission.
1990 Which? Oct. 546/2 Many sales staff are ‘on commission’; in a big store they might get..0.4 per cent of what they sell.
2009 New Yorker 29 June 50/1 He feared that a salesperson working on commission might say or do anything to make a sale.
Compounds
commission agent n. †(a) = commission broker n. (a) (obsolete); (b) an agent who conducts business or trade for another party on the principle of commission (sense 7a); spec. = commissioner n. 7.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > trader > agent or broker > [noun]
broker1377
factor1432
entermeter1440
broggerc1460
chapman1570
institor1657
mackeler1682
agent1707
commission man1733
agenting1751
supercargo1782
commission agent1798
commission merchant1798
curbstone broker1848
managing agent1969
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > betting > [noun] > book-making > book-maker
commission agent1798
flash-man1812
bookmaker1833
commissioner1851
ring man1857
metallician1861
street bookmaker1867
bookie1877
book1881
knight of the pencil1885
handbook man1894
street bookie1911
turf accountant1915
listman1922
society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > non-manual worker > businessman > [noun] > business agent > for a percentage
commission agent1798
five percenter1949
1798 Sun 15 Aug. 1/1 Messrs. Richard and Thomas Humphrys, Army Commission Agents,..have for Sale, a Troop, Lieutenancy, and several Cornetcies of Dragoons.
1804 Morning Post 23 Oct. The profession of an Army Broker, or Commission Agent, has been long established and recognised by law.
1806 Morning Post 28 Nov. (advt.) Tickets for Drury-Lane Theatre..sold reasonably by J. J. Stockdale, Bookseller, Publisher, Stationer, and Commission Agent.
1922 World Tomorrow July 207/2 Some of the natives who had themselves acted as commission agents and fertilizer dealers, held aloof.
2008 Sunday Tel. (Austral.) (Nexis) 7 Dec. 103 Under normal circumstances, commission agents merely act as an agent for their client to place bets with a bookmaker or a tote where they can get the best odds.
commission-based adj. based on the payment of a commission or commissions (sense 7b); (of an employee or their position) that receives remuneration on such a basis.
ΚΠ
1966 Denton (Texas) Record-Chronicle 3 Jan. 12/2 (advt.) Excellent working conditions. Guaranteed commission based salary.
1974 Jrnl. Marketing 38 No. 2. 71/2 Financial incentives..might offset the ‘lost’ time spent in providing the information by a salesman on a total or partial commission-based salary.
2012 P. H. Sutherland Veterinarian's Guide to Financial Planning iii. 36 Some investors believe that since you have to pay for investment services anyway, you might as well hire a commission-based or fee-based financial adviser.
commission broker n. (a) an agent for the sale or purchase of commissions in the armed forces (now historical and rare); (b) Stock Market a person who trades on the floor of an exchange as an agent for a brokerage firm, receiving a percentage of each transaction made as a commission.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > warrior > others concerned with military affairs > [noun] > commission-broker
commission broker1746
1746 National Oecon. Recommended 24 Who would have thought, that..such a Creature as a Commission-Broker never fell in his Way?
1798 Times 29 May To commission brokers, auctioneers, and others wanting a deal of room.—To be let, very cheap, a large house, well adapted for any such, 5 minutes' walk from the Royal Exchange.
1827 Morning Chron. 13 Nov. It is supposed that not less than one million sterling was sold by the regular Commission Brokers, independent of the extensive operations of the Jobbers.
1913 C. Oman Wellington's Army 198 The officer retiring handed over the affair to a ‘commission broker,’ and bidding was invited.
1921 N.Y. Times 20 Feb. e9/3 Most of the selling..came from Southern markets, as it was apparent at the opening that commission brokers had a fairly large overnight accumulation of selling orders.
2009 A. Bold Bold Truth about Investing iii. 35 There's no financial impact on the commission broker if the investment climbs or crumbles.
commission business n. business or trade conducted on a commission basis (cf. sense 7a).
ΚΠ
1678 J. Vernon Compl. Compting-house 38 A Book wherein (if you have much Commission-Business) you put all the Goods you are to receive on board any Ships.
1753 J. Hanway Hist. Acct. Brit. Trade Caspian Sea II. xlii. 279 A great part of this branch of commission-business is..fallen into the hands of the merchants.
1867 Times 12 Jan. 3/6 (advt.) Profitable commission business in Manchester.
1967 tr. F. Rörig Medieval Town (1971) ii. 44 The commission business came to be extremely important in the Hanseatic economic area; it allowed the merchant to stay at home and at the same time to sell his goods in various places.
2013 WMI Company News (Nexis) 15 Apr. The decrease was caused by..a decline in income from commission business and portfolio management.
commission chairman n. the chairperson of a commission (sense 5a).
ΚΠ
1854 Jurors & Juries (Ireland) p. i/1 in Parl. Papers (Bill 114) III. 295 Judges of Superior Courts of Assize, and Commission Chairman of Sessions and Recorders, to issue Precept to Sheriffs to summon Juries.
1940 Manch. Guardian 1 Apr. 4/4 The reports by the commission chairmen provided examples of an unusually high standard of public speaking.
2014 Washington Post (Nexis) 9 Jan. b1 Near the end of Gray's appearance, commission chairman Mary Cuthbert urged the audience to attend the rally.
commission day n. British Law (now historical) the opening day of a session of an assize court (see assize n. 12), when the commission authorizing the judge to hold the court is opened and read.
ΚΠ
1676 Some Considerations whether Parl. dissolved by Prorogation v. 19 These Courts have not certain days and times, like Terms to sit, but only a day to assemble, their Commission day.
1768 J. Sayer Law Costs xxvi. 148 The Notice of Countermand should be delivered four Days before the Commission Day.
1883 M. D. Osbaldeston in Law Times 20 Oct. 411/2 No assize business is ever, as a rule, commenced on the commission-day.
a1964 B. Behan I become Borstal Boy in After Wake (1981) 24 I had been informed at the Committal Court that commission day for Liverpool Winter Assizes Court was six weeks off.
2000 P. Clark Brit. Clubs & Societies 1580–1800 (2002) 186 The Chelmsford florists' feast was always held on the first commission day of the court.
commission house n. now chiefly North American (a) a business selling goods for others in return for a commission (sense 7b) (now rare); (b) Stock Market a brokerage firm that only buys and sells futures contracts and securities for customers in return for a fee or commission, and does not trade on its own account.
ΚΠ
1709 C. Davenant Refl. Trade to Afr. III. i. 20 Some few Persons may perhaps be gainers by Commission and Commission-houses in the Plantations.
1803 Ann. Rev. 1 406/1 It would be possible to conduct an immense trade to the East Indies, by small shipping.., through commission-houses..in all the sea ports of Hindostan.
1854 Boston Daily Atlas 10 July Stocks have rapidly declined, and..securities are thus rendered comparatively valueless. Among failures..we may mention that of Messrs. Blachford & Rainsford, & Wm. Borrowe & Son, both Stock and Commission Houses.
1908 Ticker Oct. 254/1 The result, however, is a marked stimulation of public interest, and commission-house buying orders begin.
1920 National Wool Grower Dec. 52/2 On that same day I bought from a commission house in Kansas City, several car loads of sheep that had been on the market for several days.
2001 Globe & Mail (Toronto) (Nexis) 23 Feb. b8 Cocoa futures..fell sharply yesterday as selling by local traders and commission houses wiped out an earlier foray to a 22-month high.
commission man n. chiefly Agriculture = commission merchant n.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > trader > agent or broker > [noun]
broker1377
factor1432
entermeter1440
broggerc1460
chapman1570
institor1657
mackeler1682
agent1707
commission man1733
agenting1751
supercargo1782
commission agent1798
commission merchant1798
curbstone broker1848
managing agent1969
society > occupation and work > worker > workers according to type of work > non-manual worker > businessman > [noun] > business agent
broker1377
officerc1390
factor1432
worker1560
commission man1733
gomashta1747
1733 Gentleman's Mag. Mar. 138/1 There are a Set of People whose Interest it is to oppose any Change in Collecting the Duties on Tobacco; these are Commission Men and Brokers.
1796 Hull Advert. 16 Jan. 1/1 I. Burnett, Grocer and Commission Man..will be glad to sell on Commission for any Merchant.
1897 G. G. Hill in U.S. Dept. Agric. Farmers' Bull. No. 62. 14 Commission men usually find good demand for lambs from September to July 1.
1939 C. A. Naether Bk. Pigeon viii. 197 Many squab producers are flabby salesmen. Too often they prefer to take the way of least resistance and ship their output to commission men.
2013 R. D. Hurt in G. Aley & J. L. Anderson Union Heartland 76 Midwestern farmers calculated that they only kept about one-third of their income from sales because of commission men, transportation costs, and other expenses.
commission merchant n. a person who conducts business or trade on behalf of another; an agent, a factor; cf. commission man n.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > trader > agent or broker > [noun]
broker1377
factor1432
entermeter1440
broggerc1460
chapman1570
institor1657
mackeler1682
agent1707
commission man1733
agenting1751
supercargo1782
commission agent1798
commission merchant1798
curbstone broker1848
managing agent1969
1798 Boston Directory 64 Holden Edward, commission merchant, house Salem street.
1857 Texas Almanac (advt.) Cotton Factors and Commission Merchants.
1921 Amer. Econ. Rev. 11 285 A society which can plan for its organic needs organically and not leave them to the tender mercies of scheming commission merchants.
2006 W. Alderson in B. Wooliscroft et al. 21st Cent. Guide Aldersonian Marketing Thought xv. 230 The commission merchant takes possession [of the goods] but not ownership.
commission note n. now rare a written promise to pay commission to an agent.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > agreement > promise > [noun] > document containing
schedule1622
advance note1831
Citizen's Charter1851
pledge card1861
commission note1878
1878 Law Times 1 June 89/2 The commission note, dated 23rd Oct. was not, in fact, written until the 25th.
1899 Westm. Gaz. 13 May 7/2 She did not know when or where she signed the commission note.
1931 Financial Times 24 Feb. 8/4 A commission note dated 10th August, 1925.
2004 A. Sayed Corruption in Internat. Trade iv. 112 If anybody had a commission note up to 10 per cent, it would be dangerous because it was obvious that this was ‘dishonest business’.
commission officer n. chiefly Military a person holding a rank or office by commission; a commissioned officer; cf. non-commission officer n.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > leader or commander > officer or soldier of rank > [noun] > commissioned officer
commission officer1646
Sam Browne1919
V.C.O.1945
1646 Sir T. Fairefax facing Oxf. 8 That all the Commission-Officers be certified by the Governour of the Castle.
1708 Royal Proclam. 30 Dec. in London Gaz. No. 4504/2 All Justices of the Peace, Chief Magistrates, Vice-Admirals, and other Commission-Officers.
1837 Army & Navy Chron. 19 Oct. 241/2 They are, while they do their duty, to be considered and treated in all respects as a commission officer should be.
1967 Jrnl. Risk & Insurance 35 247/1 A two year tour of duty as a commission officer in the Adjutant General Corps.
2008 Outlook 12 May 27/1 You can dilute the standards of intake for short service commission officers to improve intake.
commission rank n. Military a rank held by commission.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > warrior > soldier > leader or commander > officer or soldier of rank > [noun] > commissioned officer > rank of
commission rank1843
1843 Belfast News-let. 13 Oct. The subsequent inquiry into the matter by the native commission and non-commission ranks.
1911 Dental Cosmos Oct. 1167/1 An amended law raising the official status of the dental army surgeon to the commission rank of lieutenant.
2012 J. C. Fredriksen Fighting Elites 49 A career marine, he had risen from the commission ranks and had performed competently.
commission store n. originally U.S. (now chiefly historical) a shop selling goods for others in return for a commission (cf. commission house n. (a)); spec. (in communist countries) a state-controlled shop of this type, esp. one selling second-hand goods or imported items. [In spec. use after Russian komissionnyj magazin commission shop (1920 or earlier).]
ΚΠ
1777 Pennsylvania Ledger 15 Oct. (advt.) A New Commission Store..opened by James Inglis.., where he is receiving (to sell on commission) all kinds of Goods, Wares and Merchandize.
1867 Congregational Q. Apr. 137/2 He became a clerk in a grocery and commission store in Hartford, in which his brother was a partner.
1932 Western -Enterprise (Anson, Texas) 1 Dec. (advt.) I will open by Friday or Saturday a commission store... I will trade, or sell what you have on a commission. Bring us what you want to dispose of.
1957 Times 16 Feb. 6/2 He has..been..denounced for selling used clothing and cameras at Soviet commission stores.., a Government enterprise for the sale of second-hand goods.
1993 N.Y. Times Mag. 14 Mar. 68/4 I find a commission store, where Cubans leave personal items they want to sell and pay the Government a commission.
2003 A. D. Watson Wilmington, N. Carolina, to 1861 i. iii. 70 In addition to running a wholesale, retail, and commission store..Jocelyn also established..a forerunner of the chamber of commerce.
ΚΠ
1696 J. Lead Fountain of Gardens sig. Ee7 This Commission Word I had, Go forth.
1824 T. Hood Two Swans in New Monthly Mag. 10 146 The gentle bird..will not bring Freedom's sweet key-note and commission word.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2015; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
† commissionn.2
cant. Obsolete.
A shirt.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > underwear > [noun] > vest or undershirt
chemiseeOE
sarkOE
shirtOE
wyliecoat1478
semmitc1485
commission1567
shift1601
undershirt1648
mish1667
subucula1695
linder1768
surcoat1768
smish1807
under-vest1813
flesh-bag1819
under-tunic1819
vest1851
underfug1924
skivvy1932
wife-beater1993
1567 T. Harman Caueat for Commen Cursetors (new ed.) Peddelars Frenche sig. Giiv A commission, a shierte.
1630 J. Taylor Praise Cleane Linnen in Wks. ii. 167/1 Cleane linnen yeelds a shirt before we rise, Which..in the canting tongue is a commission.
1725 New Canting Dict. Song viii I no Togeman wear, No Commission, Mish, or Slate.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2015; most recently modified version published online September 2021).
commissionv.
/kəˈmɪʃn/, U.S. /kəˈmɪʃən/ 1. transitive. To entrust or delegate (power or authority) to a person.In quot. 1602 with the symbol of authority as object (cf. key n.1 3a) and the person to whom power is entrusted as indirect object.
ΚΠ
1602 A. Copley Another Let. to Dis-iesuited Kinseman 16 Saint Peter had no keyes commissioned him by Christ as a Caesar, but as a Shepheard.
1773 J. Pechell Hist. Univ. Oxf. to Demise Queen Elizabeth 76 The chancellor and mayor, by the King's authority commissioned to them, gave orders for the mending and paving the streets.
1838 D. Wilson in W. S. Bricknell Judgm. Bishops upon Tractarian Theol. (1845) viii. 204 There was no difference of opinion as to where the authority commissioned to pronounce in the last resort was constituted.
1897 C. T. Russell What say Script. about Spiritualism? 75 The power commissioned to Mrs. Whitlock was certainly not from the Father.
1978 J. Meyendorff Christ in Eastern Christian Thought ii. 31 The particular authority commissioned by Jesus to some of His disciples..can only be an authority within the community.
2014 J. O. Bordeau Ethics of One 603 I must endeavor to dedicate myself to the societal program in force with the authority and power commissioned to me by The Special Group or its agents.
2.
a. transitive. To appoint (a person) to an official position by means of a commission (commission n.1 2a); to delegate power or authority to (a person); to provide with a warrant conferring legal or judicial authority.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > delegated authority > investing with delegated authority > vest authority in a person [verb (transitive)] > by a commission
commission1611
commissionate1783
1611 W. Vaughan Spirit of Detraction iv. ii. 131 It behoues you (my Masters) whom his Maiestie or his Chauncellor hath commissioned..as Rulers ouer hundreds,..to looke vnto your places.
a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) i. vii. 20 Those who have power to condemn Offenders for Capital Faults, as all the Twelve Judges have (or any Serjeant commissioned, to ride the Circuit).
1704 Boston News-let. 17 Apr. 2/2 The Honourable Col. Nathanael Byfield, Esq. is Commissioned Judge of the Admiralty for the Provinces of Massachusetts-Bay, New-Hampshire and Rhode Island.
1785 Bill Concerning Escheators 31 Oct. in T. Jefferson Papers (1950) II. 410 There shall be one escheator commissioned in every county.
1863 H. Cox Inst. Eng. Govt. ii. ii. 302 The King having..commissioned the newly constituted judges to administer justice.
1886 Parl. Deb. 3rd Ser. 308 664 The miners of Somerset petitioned the late Lord Chancellor to commission Mr. R. Harty Dunn as a working man magistrate for the county.
1913 Acts & Resolves Gen. Assembly Vermont 1912 488 The governor..shall appoint and commission a judge for the term of two years.
2006 N. T. Anderson Bondage Breaker® v. 77 A policeman has the right to stop traffic at an intersection because he has been commissioned by the state which has civil authority.
b. transitive. spec. To appoint (a person) to the rank of officer in a military force. Cf. commission n.1 1b.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military organization > enlistment or recruitment > appointment to rank > appoint to rank [verb (transitive)]
commissionate1587
list1643
commission1646
1646 N. Cradock Answer Just Vindic. Gentlemen of Pembrokeshire 5 Touching a Commander in chief,..the Earl of Carbery was Commissioned accordingly.
1706 Duke of Marlborough Let. 26 Feb. in Lett. & Disp. (1845) II. 437 Notice taken in Parliament, of children's being commissioned in the troops.
1789 Constit. U.S. Art. ii. §2 The president..shall commission all officers of the United States.
1835 Army & Navy Chron. 3 Dec. 389/1 He then is commissioned a 2d lieutenant.
1872 Congress. Globe 13 May 3365/2 To commission George A. Stevens to such rank in the United States Navy as the circumstances..seem to justify.
1919 Opinions Judge Advocate Gen. of Army 16 He [sc. the President] has the right to commission a soldier as a Navy officer and to commission a sailor as an Army officer.
1951 Sunday Pict. 21 Jan. 13/6 (advt.) If you are ‘good officer material’ you will be commissioned after your initial training.
2005 Maisonneuve Aug. 41/2 I'd known of the service obligation officers incur when they get commissioned.
c. transitive. With †for, to. To give (an officer) command of a ship. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > administration and ceremonial > organize naval affairs, etc. [verb (transitive)] > give (officer) command of a ship
commission1745
post1907
1745 Observ. conc. Navy 49 If they [sc. Sea-officers] are commission'd for a Ship, tho' at Plymouth, they must go to her as well as they can.
1781 Gentleman's Mag. Nov. 517/1 Lieut. Saunders had before been commissioned to the Tryal, and Lieut. Saumarez to the Centurion's prize.
1817 E. H. East & T. Day Rep. Cases King's Bench (new ed.) II. 514 During all such time as the plaintiff was so commissioned to the Reliance he was mustered, borne on the ship's books, received his pay.
1857 Monthly Notices Royal Astron. Soc. 17 94 Lieut. Beechey had been advanced to the rank of Commander in the Navy, and in 1825 was commissioned to the Blossom, of 24 guns.
1903 Ld. Wolseley Story Soldier's Life II. xxxiv. 101 A naval captain who, having just been commissioned to a ship,..was on the look-out for a good crew.
1983 R. Latham Diary S. Pepys (2001) X. 188 In 1665 he was commissioned to a fireship, the Loyal Merchant.
3.
a. transitive. To empower, authorize, or charge (a person) (to do something); to assign or entrust with a duty, role, or task.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > delegated authority > investing with delegated authority > vest authority in a person [verb (transitive)] > depute or delegate authority > depute, delegate, or commission a person
delegate1530
deleague1562
commissionate1587
subcommit1617
commission1622
1622 True Relation Affaires Europe 5 There is expectation of seuerall Embossadours..who shall bee commissioned to treat of conditions betweene Millaine and them.
1683 J. Dryden Life Plutarch Ded. sig. B3 I have the honour to be Commission'd from the Translators of this Volum, to inscribe their labours..to your Graces Name and Patronage.
1706 A. Pope Let. 10 Apr. in Corr. (1956) I. 16 You have commission'd me to paint your Shop, and I have done my best to brush you up like your Neighbours.
1768 T. Gray Let. 3 Aug. in Corr. (1971) III. 1040 I am commission'd to make you an offer, which, I have told him..you would not accept.
1869 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest (1876) III. xiii. 298 They had commissioned William to speak in their names.
1884 tr. J. J. Rein Japan ii. 424 A marriage agent (nakôdo), commissioned by the parents of the bridegroom or the bride, brought about a meeting.
1929 A. Conan Doyle Maracot Deep 200 Has your rag commissioned you to obtain an interview?
1977 J. McPhee Coming into Country i. 36 An anthropological team commissioned by the Park Service has recently..catalogued what must be every habit..of the Kobuk River natives.
2010 Church Times 8 Oct. 27/5 You can even leave a legacy simply for ‘charitable purposes’ to an executor commissioned to give it appropriately on your behalf.
b. transitive. spec. To give a commission to (a person, esp. an artist, musician, or writer) to produce a particular piece of work.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > acquisition > obtain or acquire [verb (transitive)] > obtain or acquire in a certain way > by asking, entreaty, or importunity > by ordering > commission a person to provide something
commission1766
1766 Biographia Britannica VI. ii. 63 The very treaty in which Reubens was commissioned on the part of the Infanta.
1838 S. Maunder Biogr. Treasury at Mozart The emperor Joseph..commissioned young Mozart to write the music for a comic opera.
1883 ‘G. Lloyd’ Ebb & Flow II. xxx. 186 I have commissioned him to do a sketch of the park for me.
1901 Sc. Notes & Queries May 170/2 He commissioned a well-known Glasgow pipe-maker to furnish him with a set of bag-pipes.
1951 G. Greene End of Affair iv. i. 156 I've been commissioned to do a Life of General Gordon and the advance is enough to keep us for three months comfortably.
2008 Irish Independent 28 Nov. 36/5 Gino Severini..was commissioned to paint works for the airline's Paris offices.
4. transitive. To dispatch (a person) to carry out a task or duty; to send on a mission.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > delegated authority > investing with delegated authority > vest authority in a person [verb (transitive)] > send on mission or as delegate
sendc950
commissionate1587
attorneya1616
employa1616
to send in legation1649
commission1652
mission1692
1652 R. Williams Fourth Paper propagating Gospel 21 These persons so sent and Commissioned, may be impower'd..to return and to represent unto the Parliament the Names of fit and sufficient persons.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis vii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 419 A chosen Band He first commissions to the Latian land; In threatning Embassy.
1829 Morning Courier & N.-Y. Enquirer 16 Oct. Two of these missions were particularly important—Mr. M'Lane sent to England and Mr. Rives commissioned to France.
1871 B. Taylor tr. J. W. von Goethe Faust II. iv. ii. 305 Us he commissioned, by the swiftest courses Thee to assist.
1952 Lubbock (Texas) Avalanche-Jrnl. 31 Aug. iv. 6/3 Mrs. Kurth's husband, Colonel Kurth, has been commissioned to Africa for a short time.
2010 S. Kyeyune Acts of Apostles 5 Jesus commissioned His disciples with this prayer: ‘As you have sent me into the world so have I also sent them into the world.’
5.
a. transitive. To command (a warship) to be brought into active service; to put (a vessel) in commission.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > administration and ceremonial > organize naval affairs, etc. [verb (transitive)] > commission ship
commission1749
society > travel > travel by water > launching a vessel > launch or set afloat [verb (transitive)] > commission
commission1896
1749 R. Rolt Impartial Representation Conduct Powers Europe II. iii. iii. 176 As they are ships commissioned and paid by the king, there is usually one amongst the captains stiled the general.
1796 E. Burke Two Lett. Peace Regicide Directory France in Wks. (1808) VIII. 369 The new ships which we commission, or the new regiments which we raise.
1839 Mirror of Parl. (2nd Sess., 14th Parl.) 1 824/1 Shortly after I came into office, it was thought necessary to commission the Hercules.
1896 H. Collingwood Log Privateersman vi. 70 This fine, handsome ship—brand new, as it turned out, and only commissioned a few days previously—was a perfect wreck.
1969 Jrnl. Inst. Navigation 22 526 During 1968 no less than four new survey vessels..were commissioned.
2009 L. Stein Making of Mod. Israel 121 It was commissioned by the Irgun and, on being instructed to surrender the boat and its contents to the government, the Irgun refused.
b. transitive. To serve as commanding officer on (a ship); to assume command of (a ship).Sometimes difficult to distinguish from sense 5a.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > administration and ceremonial > organize naval affairs, etc. [verb (transitive)] > give (officer) command of a ship > assume command of (ship)
commission1821
1821 W. E. Parry Jrnl. Voy. Discov. North-west Passage Introd. p. i I arrived in London on the 20th, and commissioned the Hecla at Deptford on the following day.
1887 Poor Nellie (1888) 288 A new ironclad just commissioned by his friend Captain Vincent.
1951 N. Monsarrat Cruel Sea i. 13 The ship was his: he was to commission and to command H.M.S. Compass Rose.
2003 B. Lavery Jack Aubrey Commands (2005) 55 The Lively was commissioned by Captain C E Hammond in July 1804 and sent to cruise against enemy shipping.
c. intransitive. Of a warship: to commence active service; (more generally of any vessel) to be put in commission.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > administration and ceremonial > organize naval affairs, etc. [verb (intransitive)] > of ship: be commissioned
recommission1881
commission1893
1893 United Service Mag. Dec. 296 Others are sent direct to sea, to any ship commissioning, re-commissioning, or requiring her complement filled up.
1915 ‘Bartimeus’ Tall Ship i. 17 There's a super-Dreadnought commissioning soon.
1945 D. Bolster Roll on my Twelve 52 The 5,700 ton cruiser Mombresia, having commissioned at Devonport.., was sent out to join the 33rd Cruiser Squadron at Malta.
2005 G. M. Hiranandani Transition to Eminence ix. 60/1 She commissioned on 8 July 1981, having taken 44 months from launch to delivery.
6. transitive. To order or authorize the production, provision, or undertaking of (something); to give a commission for. Cf. sense 3 and commission n.1 4.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > acquisition > obtain or acquire [verb (transitive)] > obtain or acquire in a certain way > by asking, entreaty, or importunity > by ordering
ordaina1393
speak1508
to speak of ——1600
steven1674
commission1790
tryst1825
order1836
to order up1843
indent1897
1790 R. Burns Let. 2 Mar. (2003) II. 20 The books I commissioned in my last.
1795 Scots Mag. 57 539/2 He commissioned the pistols from England, and paid 50s. for them.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. III. i. i. 15 Beaumarchais,..has commissioned sixty thousand stand of good arms out of Holland.
1855 Athenæum 15 Sept. 1066/2 The Government..is bound by all moral and professional considerations to commission the work within the circle it may have chosen.
1906 Rep. Free Libr. Comm. Dundee 9 His family commissioning a portrait..from this accomplished painter.
1967 Listener 10 Aug. 179/1 The aerial hijacking..was commissioned..by the Congolese Government.
2013 Country Smallholding Feb. 32/1 We commissioned a report by a local arboriculturist, which was very useful and informative.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2015; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
n.11344
n.21567
v.1602