commissariat

American  

[kom-uh-sair-ee-uht] / ˌkɒm əˈsɛər i ət /

noun

1. any of the major governmental divisions of the U.S.S.R.: called ministry since 1946.

2. the organized method or manner by which food, equipment, transport, etc., is delivered to armies.

3. the department of an army charged with supplying provisions.

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commissariat British  

/ ˌkɒmɪˈsɛərɪət /

noun

1. Now called: ministry.  (in the former Soviet Union) a government department before 1946

2. 1. a military department in charge of food supplies, equipment, etc

   2. the offices of such a department

3. food supplies

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Etymology

Origin of commissariat

1600–10; < New Latin commissāriātus, equivalent to Medieval Latin commissāri ( us ) commissary + -ātus -ate ³; commissariat ( def. 1 ) < Russian komissariát ≪ New Latin, as above

Example Sentences

He points to the "commissariat", a central department within the oil camps that not only provided subsidised food but also maintained the workers' homes, with fresh coats of paint and new light bulbs.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026

The commissariat held 38 women, it said, some of whom slept in the chief's office overnight under police supervision, where other detainees were permitted "a breather" during the day.

From Reuters • Jun. 2, 2023

Rumors of men grabbed off the streets and shepherded to the nearest military commissariat generate fear and anxiety—enough to drive many men to permanently leave the country.

From Slate • Oct. 23, 2022

Last week at a voenkomat, or military commissariat, in northwestern Moscow, wives, mothers, and children gathered to say goodbye to loved ones being shipped off to fight.

From New York Times • Oct. 19, 2022

They covered the secretary’s table, the reading desk, the stools—dreary papers of government, still bravely persevered in—of law, still to be codified—of commissariat and of armament and of orders for the day.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White