embassy
Americannoun
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a body of people entrusted with a mission to a sovereign or government, especially an ambassador and their staff.
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the official headquarters of an ambassador.
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the function or office of an ambassador.
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a mission headed by an ambassador.
noun
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the residence or place of official business of an ambassador
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an ambassador and his entourage collectively
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the position, business, or mission of an ambassador
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any important or official mission, duty, etc, esp one undertaken by an agent
Etymology
Origin of embassy
First recorded in 1570–80; variant of ambassy, from Middle French ambassee, Old French ambasce, ambaxee, ultimately from Old Provençal ambaissada, derivative of embayssar “to send a delegate,” from Medieval Latin ambasciāre, derivative of ambascia “service, office,” derivative, by a Germanic intermediary (compare Gothic andbahti, Old High German ambahti ) of Gallo-Latin ambactus “retainer, servant” (from Gaulish, equivalent to amb- “around, both” + -act- verbal adjective of unattested ag- “drive, lead”; compare Welsh amaeth “husbandman”); see origin at ambi-, amphi- ( def. ), act, ambassador
Explanation
An ambassador, a diplomat who represents her own country in a foreign country, lives and works in an embassy. Travelers sometimes visit their home country's embassy for help with their travel documents or other issues. If you've ever visited Washington, DC, you may have seen the French embassy or the Indian embassy. These buildings often resemble homes, which makes sense because ambassadors usually live in them. The word embassy first meant "job or position of the ambassador," and comes from the Old French ambasse, with its Latin root of ambactus, or "servant."
Vocabulary lists containing embassy
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Embassy event marking America’s 250th anniversary, which featured life-size cutouts of Trump officials for photo takers.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026
The British Embassy declined to comment further about his departure.
From BBC • May 20, 2026
The US Embassy in Kampala, Uganda, said it had temporarily paused all visa services, and that impacted applicants had been notified.
From Barron's • May 18, 2026
High levels of Legionella bacteria were found in a cooling tower at Embassy Suites Napa Valley, though none of the patients had visited the hotel.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
“We’re not interested in a military coup, General,” the head of Embassy intelligence replied in studied Spanish.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
