define commissar
Commissar (sometimes Kommissar) is an English transliteration of the Russian: ÐºÐ¾Ð¼Ð¸ÑÑÐ°ÌÑ, which means commissary. In English, the transliteration commissar is used to refer specifically to Communist political officers, while administrative officers are translated to  commissary . In English, Commissar also refers to similar Communist officers in other countries, for example during the Spanish Civil War. The same word ÐºÐ¾Ð¼Ð¸ÑÑÐ°ÌÑ is used in Russian for both political and administrative officials.