WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Com*mis`sion*aire"
Part of Speech : n.
Definition : 1. One intrusted with a commission, now only a small commission, as an errand; esp., an attendant or subordinate employee in a public office, hotel, or the like. The commissionaire familiar to European travelers performs miscellaneous services as a light porter, messenger, solicitor for hotels, etc.

2. One of a corps of pensioned soldiers, as in London, employed as doorkeepers, messengers, etc.

[F. commissionnaire. Cf. Commissioner.]
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913