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

See Examples For:

embassy embassies

Ethiopia expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and shut its embassy in Asmara, while Eritrea responded that it would "sever all diplomatic ties".

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

The Indian embassy in Saudi Arabia said Machchhar was in a stable condition in hospital.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

However in an opinion piece published Tuesday on the US embassy website, Bozell said: "At this point we find it a useless proposition to continue with endless dialogue leading nowhere."

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

However, the Iranian embassy in London has said it "categorically rejects and strongly condemns" any "unfounded and malicious speculations" linking Iran to the latest incident.

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026

One day, on the phone with a State Department official named Mike Forrestal, Ellsberg quoted from a cable that had just come in from the American embassy in Saigon.

From "Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War" by Steve Sheinkin

On Sunday, US embassies across the Middle East issued new security alerts as fighting between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed coalition in Yemen intensified.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

Progress continues among Israel, the U.A.E. and Bahrain, and Israel and Morocco agreed Wednesday to resume direct flights, appoint ambassadors and turn their diplomatic missions into full embassies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Papua New Guinea and Fiji are already among just seven UN member-states to open embassies in Jerusalem, while Samoa has stated it will join them later this year.

From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026

Representatives of U.K. embassies for the Gulf countries didn’t respond to requests for comment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

First, a Russian-language message was encrypted using a codebook shared among the different embassies and government offices.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Related Words

• commission
• consulate
• delegation
• ministry