envoy

[en-voi, ahn-]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR envoy ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a diplomatic agent.

any accredited messenger or representative.

Also called envoy extraordinary, minister plenipotentiary. a diplomatic agent of the second rank, next in status after an ambassador.

Origin of envoy

1635–45; < French envoyé envoy, noun use of past participle of envoyer to send < Vulgar Latin *inviāre, presumably orig. to be on a journey, verbal derivative of Latin in viā on one's way, en route

Synonyms for envoy

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR envoy ON THESAURUS.COM

1, 2. delegate, emissary, deputy.

envoy

or en·voi

[en-voi, ahn-]

noun

a short stanza concluding a poem in certain archaic metrical forms, as a ballade, and serving as a dedication, or a similar postscript to a prose composition.

Origin of envoy

1350–1400; Middle English envoye < Old French, derivative of envoyer to send; see envoy¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for envoy

diplomat, emissary, delegate, representative, minister, ambassador, vicar, medium, bearer, courier, plenipotentiary, consul, agent, carrier, messenger, legate, intermediary, internuncio, nuncio

Examples from the Web for envoy

Contemporary Examples of envoy

Egypt expelled the Turkish ambassador last year, prompting Ankara to declare the Egyptian envoy in Turkey persona non grata.
Turkey Takes in ‘Terrorists’ from the Muslim Brotherhood
Thomas Seibert
September 19, 2014
A Russian envoy reportedly played a role persuading the rebels in Slovyansk to let them go.
Carnage in Ukraine: Dozens of Pro-Russia Activists Die in Odessa
Jamie Dettmer
May 3, 2014
And, oh, by the way, they only speak to the dealer, United Nations envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, not to each other.
The Penny-Ante Syria Talks
Christopher Dickey
January 27, 2014
Former Senator and U.S. Envoy George Mitchell joins other top Washington players to deconstruct the shutdown crisis.
The Hero Summit Agenda 2013
September 20, 2013
Since then, Ford has served as the envoy in exile to the fractious Syrian opposition.
Robert Ford: Troubleshooter
Christopher Dickey
August 6, 2013

Historical Examples of envoy

This will be confirmed by your official attendant, who will be an Envoy's Courier.
Vivian Grey
Earl of Beaconsfield, Benjamin Disraeli
Ahead of him Cesare sent an envoy to Bentivogli, to demand its surrender.
The Life of Cesare Borgia
Raphael Sabatini
This envoy arrived within three days and delivered his message.
Hellenica
Xenophon
There was no minister, no envoy to appeal to, and nothing left but to comply.
Sir Brook Fossbrooke, Volume I.
Charles James Lever
How is this difficulty about the new Greek envoy to the Porte to end?
Lord Kilgobbin
Charles Lever

British Dictionary definitions for envoy

envoy

noun

Formal name: envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary a diplomat of the second class, ranking between an ambassador and a minister resident

an accredited messenger, agent, or representative

Derived Formsenvoyship, noun

Word Origin for envoy

C17: from French envoyé, literally: sent, from envoyer to send, from Vulgar Latin inviāre (unattested) to send on a journey, from in- ² + via road

envoy

envoi

noun

a brief dedicatory or explanatory stanza concluding certain forms of poetry, notably ballades

a postscript in other forms of verse or prose

Word Origin for envoy

C14: from Old French envoye, from envoyer to send; see envoy 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for envoy

"messenger," 1660s, from French envoyé "messenger," literally "one sent" (12c.), noun use of past participle of envoyer "send," from Vulgar Latin *inviare "send on one's way," from Latin in "on" (see in- (2)) + via "road" (see via (adv.)). The same French word was borrowed in Middle English to mean "a stanza of a poem sending it off to find readers" (late 14c.).