emissary
noun
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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.
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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
Examples of emissary in a Sentence
Charlie Campbell / Jakarta, TIME, 14 Oct. 2024
There are, however, some officials who as needed can act as emissaries, even if the cardinals themselves cannot leave until a successful ballot is cast, meaning one cardinal receives two-thirds of the votes and is elected pope.
—Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, 26 Oct. 2024
Vanguard’s expansion into Montclair is further proof of another promise—to open offices only in areas where the agent community has reached out to them through trusted emissaries.
—Cameron Sullivan, The Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2024
The visitors include the Chinese official who serves as official emissary to the western state.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near emissary
Cite this Entry
“Emissary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emissary. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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