Commissar (sometimes Kommissar) is an English transliteration of the Russian комиссáр, 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 комисса́р is used in Russian for both political and administrative officials. The title has been used in the Soviet Union and Russia from the time of Peter the Great.