emissary

noun

em·​is·​sary ˈe-mə-ˌser-ē 

-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.

Synonyms

• agent
• ambassador
• delegate
• envoy
• legate
• minister
• representative

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

Yet her singing flows with effortless grace—an emissary arriving from a time unknown, offering hints of a plane beyond this mortal coil. —Pitchfork, 3 Dec. 2024

Trump’s transition emissaries, assigned to tamp down the controversy and try to smooth a confirmation path for Gaetz, may be making some headway in the Senate, reports The Hill’s Alexander Bolton. —Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 21 Nov. 2024

The meaning of Chinese emissaries’ evocative statements was often in the eye of the beholder. —Tyler Jost, Foreign Affairs, 27 June 2024

Astronomers heading the search for extraterrestrial intelligence predict their quest might first spark an encounter with another world’s AI - an interplanetary emissary speaking in code. —Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin emissarius, from emissus, past participle of emittere

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

emissary

noun

em·​is·​sary ˈem-ə-ˌser-ē 

plural emissaries

: a person sent on a mission to represent another

Legal Definition

emissary

noun

em·​is·​sary ˈe-mə-ˌser-ē 

plural emissaries

: a representative usually empowered to act more or less independently (as in collecting or conveying information or in negotiating)