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committee

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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    From commit +‎ -ee, or else revival of Anglo-Norman commite, past participle of commettre (“to commit”), from Latin committere, from con- (“with”) + mittere (“to send”). The OED3 prefers the first etymology.

    Pronunciation

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    group of persons
    person in charge of another

    Noun

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    committee (plural committees)

    1. A body of one or more persons convened for the accomplishment of some specific purpose, typically with formal protocols.
      My uncle is on the committee.
      • 1643, Parliament of England, Ordinance, together with Rules and Directions concerning Suspension from the Sacrament of the Lords Supper in cases of Ignorance and Scandall‎[1]:
        And it is further ordained, that the Members of both Houses, that now are Members of the assembly of Divines, or any seven of them, be a standing Committee of both houses of Parliament, to consider the causes of suspension from the Sacrament of the Lords Supper, not contained in this Ordinance: unto which Committee any Eldership shall present such causes, to the end that the Parliament, if need require, may heare and determine the same.
      • 2006 August 17, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, “Memorandum Opinion”, in ACLU v. NSA‎[2], page 6:
        The district court, however, denied the Government's motion to dismiss the plaintiffs' claims regarding operation SHAMROCK, because it "thought congressional committees investigating intelligence matters had revealed so much information about operation SHAMROCK that such a disclosure would pose no threat to the NSA mission."
      • 2016, Joe Biden, Timothy K. Lewis, The Defining Difference‎[3]:
        For 17 years, I was chairman or ranking member of Senate Judiciary Committee, which overseas nominations to the Court. I presided over nine total nominations—more than anyone alive. Some I supported. Others I didn’t. But every nominee was greeted by committee members. Every nominee got a committee hearing. Every nominee got out of the committee to the Senate floor, even when a nominee did not receive majority support in my committee.
    2. (archaic) A guardian; someone in charge of another person deemed to be unable to look after themselves.
    3. (Pakistan, British Pakistani, finance) Alternative form of kameti.

    Hypernyms

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    Hyponyms

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    Coordinate terms

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    Derived terms

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    Descendants

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    • → French: comité (see there for further descendants)

    Translations

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    Further reading

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