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

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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

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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

Small demonstrations were held outside Azerbaijan's embassy in Ankara, organised by Köklü Değişim, an Islamist movement linked to Hizb ut-Tahrir, and outside its consulate in Istanbul, organised by conservative Islamist group Özgür-Der.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

A representative of Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Washington, D.C., declined to comment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

The Eritrean embassy in London has been contacted for comment.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

Japanese government spokesman Minoru Kihara said the country’s embassy in Moscow hadn’t been able to contact the reporter or determine his condition.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

At a Moscow party, an American embassy official slipped the passport to Penkovsky—he’d need it if it became necessary to make a sudden run for the border.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

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

The government has reopened the city's main airport for some flights and is encouraging businesses and embassies to come back.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

The State IG is busy scrutinizing embassies, much as the Agriculture IG focuses on food-stamp fraud.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Solange promised to talk to a few friends she had who worked at various embassies.

From "I Will Always Write Back" by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda

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Related Words

• commission
• consulate
• delegation
• ministry

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