commissary

American  

[kom-uh-ser-ee] / ˈkɒm əˌsɛr i /

noun

commissaries plural

1. a store that sells food and supplies to the personnel or workers in a military post, mining camp, lumber camp, or the like.

2. a dining room or cafeteria, especially one in a motion-picture studio.

3. a person to whom some responsibility or role is delegated by a superior power; a deputy.

4. (in France) a police official, usually just below the police chief in rank.

5. commissar.

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commissary British  

/ ˈkɒmɪsərɪ, ˌkɒmɪˈsɛərɪəl /

noun

1. a shop supplying food or equipment, as in a military camp

2. army an officer responsible for supplies and food

3. a snack bar or restaurant in a film studio

4. a representative or deputy, esp an official representative of a bishop

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subcommissarial
  adjective
• commissarial
  adjective
• subcommissary
  noun
• commissaryship
  noun

Inflected Forms

noun

• commissaries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of commissary

1350–1400; Middle English commissarie (< Anglo-French ) < Medieval Latin commissārius, equivalent to Latin commiss ( us ) (past participle of committere to commit ) + -ārius -ary

Explanation

A commissary is a food and supply store for employees. On military bases, soldiers and their families shop in a commissary. The original commissaries were the military ones, from an earlier meaning of the word, "military official in charge of food supplies and transport." Today, many workplaces have commissaries where employees can buy prepared food, provisions, and sometimes equipment. Some factory laborers, miners, incarcerated people, and office workers shop at commissaries. And since Hollywood movie studios first opened in the early 20th century, they operated cafeterias on their lots, known as commissaries, for their employees.

Example Sentences

Marshals Service on Johnson’s behalf, scheduling a phone call with Johnson, as well as making sure there was money provided on his behalf in the prison commissary.

From Slate • May 28, 2026

The protesters also alleged that food rations had been reduced at the facility, forcing them to purchase costly items at the commissary.

From Los Angeles Times • May 21, 2026

Meanwhile, she’s tormented by the knowledge that Hadley was only 20 or so paces from the safety of the Mystic commissary, if only she’d left her cabin.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 18, 2026

The next day, Sinodis said, his client’s commissary and phone accounts were zeroed out.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2025

The pickings at the commissary were always slim, however.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown