emissary

noun

em·​is·​sary ˈe-mə-ˌser-ē How to pronounce emissary (audio)
-ˌse-rē
plural emissaries
1
: one designated as the agent of another : representative
2
: a secret agent

Did you know?

An emissary is often a person who is sent somewhere in order to act as a representative. The key in that sentence is sent; emissary derives from Latin emissus, the past participle of the verb emittere, meaning "to send out."  By the early 17th century, it was a commonly seen and heard word. An earlier common emittere descendant is emit. In addition, emittere itself comes from Latin mittere ("to send"), which is an ancestor of many English words, including admit, commit, mission, omit, permit, premise, promise, and submit.

Did you know?

Like missionaries, emissaries are sent on missions. However, emissaries are more likely to be representing governments, political leaders, and nonreligious institutions, and an emissary's mission is usually to negotiate or to gather information. So a president may send a trusted emissary to a war-torn region to discuss peace terms. A company's CEO may send an emissary to check out another company that they may be thinking of buying. And a politician may send out an emissary to persuade a wealthy individual to become a supporter.

Examples of emissary in a Sentence

She acted as the president's personal emissary to the union leaders. most of the industrialized nations of the world sent emissaries to the conference on global warming
Recent Examples on the Web Now, with hours to go, a lone emissary from Trump country, Sen. J.D. Vance (R), was suggesting that the next U.S. administration could work with Russian President Vladimir Putin and pullback from Europe. Souad Mekhennet, Washington Post, 18 Feb. 2024 Put another way, perhaps Swift is simply an unwitting emissary of our society’s subterranean urges. Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 31 Jan. 2024 Voltaire, who highlights Sanon’s ambition to become Haiti’s president, also cites his contacts with key suspects either personally or through emissaries. Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 9 Feb. 2024 Yet public funding to combat hepatitis C is so scant that in Los Angeles County — an area more populous than many states — the crucial work of contacting those who are infected is being done by unpaid emissaries like Bruce through a fledgling initiative called Project Connect. Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2024 Following his historic 1972 China trip, President Richard Nixon had decided to send his favorite orchestra, then conducted by Eugene Ormandy, as cultural emissaries. Ann Scott Tyson, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 Jan. 2024 The group cannot afford to completely alienate Pakistan, which provides the landlocked country’s primary transit route, serves as its largest export market, and has acted as its principal diplomatic emissary to the world. Aqil Shah, Foreign Affairs, 9 Jan. 2024 On several occasions in the 1990s, the Premier League sent emissaries to the United States to see what English soccer could learn from America’s major leagues. Rory Smith, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2023 Instead, Netanyahu sent an emissary to speak to the media—Yossi Shelley, the director-general of the Prime Minister’s office, a man few Israelis had heard of before. Ruth Margalit, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'emissary.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin emissarius, from emissus, past participle of emittere

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of emissary was in 1607

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Cite this Entry

“Emissary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emissary. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

emissary

noun
em·​is·​sary ˈem-ə-ˌser-ē How to pronounce emissary (audio)
plural emissaries
: a person sent on a mission to represent another

Legal Definition

emissary

noun
em·​is·​sary ˈe-mə-ˌser-ē How to pronounce emissary (audio)
plural emissaries
: a representative usually empowered to act more or less independently (as in collecting or conveying information or in negotiating)

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