commission

Etymology

From Middle English commissioun, from Old French commission, from Latin commissiō (“sending together; commission”), from prefix com- (“with”) + noun of action missiō (“sending”), from perfect passive participle missus (“sent”), from the verb mittō (“to send”) + noun of action suffix -iō.

noun

1. A sending or mission (to do or accomplish something).
2. An official charge or authority to do something, often used of military officers.
   David received his commission after graduating from West Point.
3. The thing to be done as agent for another.
   I have three commissions for the city.
4. A body or group of people, officially tasked with carrying out a particular function.
   the European Commission
   the Electoral Commission
   the Federal Communications Commission
   The company's sexual harassment commission made sure that every employee completed the on-line course.
5. A fee charged by an agent or broker for carrying out a transaction.
   a reseller's commission
   The real-estate broker charged a four percent commission for their knowledge on bidding for commercial properties; for their intellectual perspective on making a formal offer and the strategy to obtain a mutually satisfying deal with the seller in favour of the buyer.
   [T]he scandal was the pretty common one of a corrupt agreement between hotel proprietors and a salesman who took and gave secret commissions, so that his business had a monopoly of all the drink sold in the place. 1935, G. K. Chesterton, The Scandal of Father Brown
6. The act of committing (e.g. a crime or error).
   the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism

verb

1. (transitive) To send or officially charge someone or some group to do something.
   James Bond was commissioned with recovering the secret documents.
   Stanning, who was commissioned from Sandhurst in 2008 and has served in Afghanistan, is not the first solider to bail out the organisers at these Games but will be among the most celebrated. August 1 2012, Owen Gibson, London 2012: rowers Glover and Stanning win Team GB's first gold medal, Guardian Unlimited
2. (transitive) To place an order for (often a piece of art).
   He commissioned a replica of the Mona Lisa for his living room, but the painter gave up after six months.
3. (transitive, especially of a ship or boat) To put into active service.
   The aircraft carrier was commissioned in 1944, during WWII.
   The 1.7 mile-long conveyor system was commissioned in November 2022, and will remove one million lorry movements from the roads around West London. March 8 2023, Chris Howe, “Building the platform for Old Oak Common's platforms”, in RAIL, number 978, page 60