noun / verb
commission
Formal authorization to undertake specified work.
His commission authorizes him to serve as an Army officer.
Etymology
Latin con- and mittere combine in committere, which developed the sense of entrusting. A commission entrusts work to someone and supplies the authority needed to carry it out.
More examples
- The city commission reviews complaints about public housing.
- The museum commissions a local artist to paint a mural.
- The Navy commissions the ship after its final sea trials.
Forms
commission · commissions · commissioned · commissioning
commissioner noun — An official appointed to oversee public affairs.
Similar words
- authorization
- Emphasizes official permission rather than responsibility for specified work.
- mandate
- Emphasizes an authoritative instruction or duty to act.
- assignment
- Names a particular task without necessarily granting formal authority.