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commissar

 - 4 dictionary results

com⋅mis⋅sar

  [kom-uh-sahr, kom-uh-sahr]
Use commissar in a Sentence
–noun
1. the head of any of the major governmental divisions of the U.S.S.R.: called minister since 1946.
2. an official in any communist government whose duties include political indoctrination, detection of political deviation, etc.
Origin:
1915–20; < Russ komissár < G Kommissar < ML commissārius commissary
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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com·mis·sar   (kŏm'ĭ-sär')   
n.  

    1. An official of the Communist Party in charge of political indoctrination and the enforcement of party loyalty.

    2. The head of a commissariat in the Soviet Union until 1946.

  2. A person who tries to control public opinion.


[Russian komissar, from German Kommissar, deputy, from Medieval Latin commissārius, agent; see commissary.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Cultural Dictionary

commissar [(kom-uh-sahr)]

In various communist systems of government, an official assigned to a group to ensure the group's conformity to Communist party doctrine. The heads of government departments in the former Soviet Union were called commissars.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

commissar 
1918, from Rus. komissar, from Ger. Kommissar "commissioner," ult. from M.L. commissarius (see commissary).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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