Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Commission \Com*mis"sion\, n. [F., fr. L. commissio. See
   {Commit}.]
   1. The act of committing, doing, or performing; the act of
      perpetrating.

            Every commission of sin introduces into the soul a
            certain degree of hardness.           --South.

   2. The act of intrusting; a charge; instructions as to how a
      trust shall be executed.

   3. The duty or employment intrusted to any person or persons;
      a trust; a charge.

   4. A formal written warrant or authority, granting certain
      powers or privileges and authorizing or commanding the
      performance of certain duties.

            Let him see our commission.           --Shak.

   5. A certificate conferring military or naval rank and
      authority; as, a colonel's commission.

   6. A company of persons joined in the performance of some
      duty or the execution of some trust; as, the interstate
      commerce commission.

            A commission was at once appointed to examine into
            the matter.                           --Prescott.

   7. (Com.)
      (a) The acting under authority of, or on account of,
          another.
      (b) The thing to be done as agent for another; as, I have
          three commissions for the city.
      (c) The brokerage or allowance made to a factor or agent
          for transacting business for another; as, a commission
          of ten per cent on sales. See {Del credere}.

   {Commission of array}. (Eng. Hist.) See under {Array}.

   {Commission of bankruptcy}, a commission appointing and
      empowering certain persons to examine into the facts
      relative to an alleged bankruptcy, and to secure the
      bankrupt's lands and effects for the creditors.

   {Commission of lunacy}, a commission authorizing an inquiry
      whether a person is a lunatic or not.

   {Commission merchant}, one who buys or sells goods on
      commission, as the agent of others, receiving a rate per
      cent as his compensation.

   {Commission, or Commissioned}, {officer} (Mil.), one who has
      a commission, in distinction from a noncommissioned or
      warrant officer.

   {Commission of the peace}, a commission under the great seal,
      constituting one or more persons justices of the peace.
      [Eng.]

   {To put a vessel into commission} (Naut.), to equip and man a
      government vessel, and send it out on service after it has
      been laid up; esp.,

Commission \Com*mis"sion\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Commissioned};
   p. pr & vb. n. {Commissioning}.]
   1. To give a commission to; to furnish with a commission; to
      empower or authorize; as, to commission persons to perform
      certain acts; to commission an officer.

   2. To send out with a charge or commission.

            A chosen band He first commissions to the Latian
            land.                                 --Dryden.

   Syn: To appoint; depute; authorize; empower; delegate;
        constitute; ordain.

Source : WordNet®

commission
     n 1: a special group delegated to consider some matter; "a
          committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours"
          - Milton Berle [syn: {committee}]
     2: a fee for services rendered based on a percentage of an
        amount received or collected or agreed to be paid (as
        distinguished from a salary); "he works on commission"
     3: the act of granting authority to undertake certain functions
        [syn: {commissioning}]
     4: the state of being in good working order and ready for
        operation; "put the ships into commission"; "the motor was
        out of commission"
     5: a group of representatives or delegates [syn: {deputation},
        {delegation}, {delegacy}, {mission}]
     6: a formal statement of a command or injunction to do
        something; "the judge's charge to the jury" [syn: {charge},
         {direction}]
     7: an official document issued by a government and conferring
        on the recipient the rank of an officer in the armed
        forces [syn: {military commission}]
     8: the act of committing a crime [syn: {perpetration}, {committal}]
     9: a special assignment that is given to a person or group; "a
        confidential mission to London"; "his charge was deliver a
        message" [syn: {mission}, {charge}]

commission
     v 1: put into commission; equip for service; of ships
     2: place an order for
     3: charge with a task