emissary

American  

[em-uh-ser-ee] / ˈɛm əˌsɛr i /

noun

PLURAL

emissaries

1. a representative sent on a mission or errand.

   emissaries to negotiate a peace.

   Synonyms:

   legate, envoy, ambassador, delegate

2. an agent sent on a mission of a secret nature, as a spy.

3. Anatomy. sending or coming out, as certain veins that pass through the skull and connect the venous sinuses inside with the veins outside.

4. pertaining to an emissary.

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adjective

1. Archaic. sent forth, as on a mission.

emissary British  

/ ˈɛmɪsərɪ, -ɪsrɪ /

noun

1. 1. an agent or messenger sent on a mission, esp one who represents a government or head of state

   2. ( as modifier )

      an emissary delegation

2. an agent sent on a secret mission, as a spy

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adjective

1. (of veins) draining blood from sinuses in the dura mater to veins outside the skull

Etymology

Origin of emissary

1595–1605; < Latin ēmissārius one sent out, equivalent to ēmiss- ( emission ) + -ārius -ary

Example Sentences

In this forbidding climate, Genly Ai, an emissary from Terra, another planet, struggles to understand a place where gender roles, modes of communication and beliefs are entirely different from those at home.

From The Wall Street Journal

After the kidnapping, emissaries representing Dubai’s ruling family met Malian officials and intermediaries at a Bamako Radisson, the officials said.

From The Wall Street Journal

If Zelensky were to dismiss Yermak, he would lose his foremost emissary to the U.S. since the start of the war.

From The Wall Street Journal

The theocrat would express his distrust of the Americans, caution his emissaries to be vigilant, but then obliquely defend their efforts.

From The Wall Street Journal

He’s put off by Ginsberg’s aggressiveness, though the aging beatnik softens somewhat when he realizes Hujar isn’t an emissary of the enemy so much as a photographer picking up work where he can get it.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• envoy
• go-between
• intermediary
• messenger