Commission v.

[f. prec. sb.¹, perh. after F. commissioner, or med.L. commissiōnāre.]

  1.  trans. To furnish with a commission or legal warrant; to empower by a commission.

a. 1661.  Fuller, Worthies (1840), I. vii. 28. Any sergeant commissioned to ride the circuit.

1863.  H. Cox, Instit., II. ii. 302. The King having … commissioned the newly constituted judges to administer justice.

  † b.  spec. To give (a person) a commission for a rank in the army or navy. Obs.

a. 1714.  Marlborough, in C. Knight, Pop. Hist. Eng. (1859), V. xx. 307. Notice taken in Parliament, of children’s being commissioned in the troops.

1789.  Constit. U.S., Art. ii. § 2. The president … shall commission all officers of the United States.

  c.  Naval. To give (an officer) command of a ship by means of a commission; to order (a ship) for active service, put in commission; to assume the charge of (a ship) as the commanding officer.

1793.  Bentinck, in Ld. Auckland’s Corr., III. 47. I have hopes of being commissioned at a very early day for the ‘Adamant’ of fifty guns.

1796.  Burke, Regic. Peace, Wks. VIII. 369. The new ships which we commission, or the new regiments which we raise.

1887.  Poor Nellie (1888), 288. A new ironclad just commissioned by his friend Captain Vincent.

  2.  To give authority to act; to empower, authorize; to entrust with an office or duty.

1683.  Dryden, Ded. Plutarch’s Lives, 5. [I am] commission’d from the translators of this volum to inscribe their Labours … to your grace’s name and patronage.

1736.  Butler, Anal., II. vii. 365. That religion, which he commissioned them to publish.

1768.  Gray, Corr. w. Nicholls (1843), 76. I am commissioned to make you an offer which I have told him … you would not accept.

1869.  Freeman, Norm. Conq. (1876), III. xiii. 298. They had commissioned William to speak in their names.

  3.  To send on a mission, dispatch.

1697.  Dryden, Æneid (J.). A chosen band He first commissions to the Latian land, In threat’ning embassy.

1871.  B. Taylor, Faust (1875), II. IV. ii. 245. Us he commissioned by the swiftest courses Thee to assist.

  4.  To give a commission or order to (a person) for a particular piece of work; chiefly used of the orders given to artists.

a. 1806.  J. Barry, Lect. Art, vi. (1848), 235. Had it been Sir Joshua’s fortune to have lived a little longer, and, whether commissioned or not, had he contrived to have left in this great city some work.

1883.  Lloyd, Ebb & Flow, II. 186. I have commissioned him to do a sketch of the park for me.

  5.  To give a commission or order for; to order.

1790.  Burns, Lett. to Hill, 2 March. The books I commissioned in my last.

1795.  Scots Mag., LVII. 539/2. He commissioned the pistols from England, and paid 50s. for them.

1824.  Miss Ferrier, Inher., xv. I’ve commissioned a walkingstick for my Lord from Paris.

1837.  Carlyle, Fr. Rev., III. I. i. Beaumarchais … has commissioned sixty-thousand stand of good arms out of Holland.

  Hence Commissioning vbl. sb.

1886.  All Y. Round, 4 Sept., 103. Joining a ship in the first throes of Commissioning.

1883.  Pall Mall G., 7 Feb., 11/2. The complete commissioning of our police for the Russian service.