political commissar
1
9.6
- noun
- /pəˈlɪtɪkəl ˈkɒmɪsɑːr/
:
comisario político
- Just before the railroad attack, the regional political commissar arrived with a document to have Katukov read to us.
Examples
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During the Second World War, when I was serving in the army, I heard speeches by political commissars.
Fiction book (1993) -
Stalin sent in his political commissars to shoot the Soviet commanders, but the real fault was his own.
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He had joined in the 1920s, studied in the Soviet Union in the late 1920s, and had become a political commissar in the military by the early 1930s.
Academic text (1990) -
The political commissar ensured that all soldiers adhered to the party's principles during the training exercises.
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In the meeting, the political commissar outlined the expectations for loyalty and discipline among the troops.
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The role of a political commissar is crucial in maintaining ideological conformity within military units during conflicts.
Synonyms
10
9.9
An official in a Communist government who teaches party ideas and enforces loyalty
How Controlling
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun phrase is compositionally derived: 'political' simply narrows the type of 'commissar' to one enforcing political/party loyalty, so the overall meaning follows directly from the constituents. This ADJ+NOUN pattern is regular across languages and, aside from occasional pejorative connotations, a B1 learner who knows both words should be able to infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
Political commissar comes from Communist armies, where a party official was put inside a military unit to watch officers and make sure soldiers followed party ideas and stayed loyal. So the strong image of someone standing beside commanders to control belief is why it means 'an official who ensures compliance with party principles and loyalty'.