'The United States Sanitary Commission' definitions:

Definition of 'The United States Sanitary Commission'

From: GCIDE
  • Commission \Com*mis"sion\, n. [F., fr. L. commissio. See Commit.]
  • 1. The act of committing, doing, or performing; the act of perpetrating. [1913 Webster]
  • Every commission of sin introduces into the soul a certain degree of hardness. --South. [1913 Webster]
  • 2. The act of intrusting; a charge; instructions as to how a trust shall be executed. [1913 Webster]
  • 3. The duty or employment intrusted to any person or persons; a trust; a charge. [1913 Webster]
  • 4. A formal written warrant or authority, granting certain powers or privileges and authorizing or commanding the performance of certain duties. [1913 Webster]
  • Let him see our commission. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
  • 5. A certificate conferring military or naval rank and authority; as, a colonel's commission. [1913 Webster]
  • 6. A company of persons joined in the performance of some duty or the execution of some trust; as, the interstate commerce commission. [1913 Webster]
  • A commission was at once appointed to examine into the matter. --Prescott. [1913 Webster]
  • 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. [1913 Webster]
  • 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 officer 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.]
  • on commission, paid partly or completely by collecting as a commision a portion of the sales that one makes.
  • out of commission, not operating properly; out of order.
  • 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., the formal act of taking command of a vessel for service, hoisting the flag, reading the orders, etc.
  • To put a vessel out of commission (Naut.), to detach the officers and crew and retire it from active service, temporarily or permanently.
  • To put the great seal into commission or {To put the Treasury into commission}, to place it in the hands of a commissioner or commissioners during the abeyance of the ordinary administration, as between the going out of one lord keeper and the accession of another. [Eng.]
  • The United States Christian Commission, an organization among the people of the North, during the Civil War, which afforded material comforts to the Union soldiers, and performed services of a religious character in the field and in hospitals.
  • The United States Sanitary Commission, an organization formed by the people of the North to cooperate with and supplement the medical department of the Union armies during the Civil War.
  • Syn: Charge; warrant; authority; mandate; office; trust; employment. [1913 Webster]