embassy
[ em-buh-see ]
/ ˈɛm bə si /
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noun, plural em·bas·sies.
a body of persons entrusted with a mission to a sovereign or government, especially an ambassador and his or her staff.
the official headquarters of an ambassador.
the function or office of an ambassador.
a mission headed by an ambassador.
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On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
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-, act, ambassador
Words nearby embassy
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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British Dictionary definitions for embassy
embassy
/ (ˈɛmbəsɪ) /
noun plural -sies
the residence or place of official business of an ambassador
an ambassador and his entourage collectively
the position, business, or mission of an ambassador
any important or official mission, duty, etc, esp one undertaken by an agent
Word Origin for embassy
C16: from Old French ambassee, from Old Italian ambasciata, from Old Provençal ambaisada, ultimately of Germanic origin; see ambassador
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