embassy

American  

[em-buh-see] / ˈɛm bə si /

noun

embassies plural

1. a body of people entrusted with a mission to a sovereign or government, especially an ambassador and their staff.

2. the official headquarters of an ambassador.

3. the function or office of an ambassador.

4. a mission headed by an ambassador.

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embassy British  

/ ˈɛmbəsɪ /

noun

1. the residence or place of official business of an ambassador

2. an ambassador and his entourage collectively

3. the position, business, or mission of an ambassador

4. any important or official mission, duty, etc, esp one undertaken by an agent

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• embassies
  plural

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."

Example Sentences

On 29 January, the Afghan embassy in Tehran said it had taken urgent steps to identify and aid a number of Afghan migrants stranded on the Iran-Turkey border.

From BBC • Jul. 1, 2026

Upward of 6,000 Malawians were also gathered this month in a Durban park, waiting their turn to board buses that their embassy procured to take them home.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 28, 2026

It also sought nearly $768 million for the Energy Department for nuclear and energy security related to Iran, and $300 million for State Department embassy security and construction in countries around Iran.

From Barron's • Jun. 24, 2026

She was captured in photos at an embassy cocktail party in Accra as the Palisades fire exploded Jan. 7, 2025.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2026

Bobby wrote to the U.S. embassy in Tokyo asking them to send a member of the diplomatic staff to the detention center so that an official could accept his citizenship renunciation.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

Related Words

• commission
• consulate
• delegation
• ministry