envoy

1
[ en-voi, ahn- ]
/ ˈɛn vɔɪ, ˈɑn- /
SEE 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.

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Origin of envoy

1
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

Words nearby envoy

environmentalism, environmentalist, environs, envisage, envision, envoy, envy, enweave, enwheel, enwind, enwomb

Definition for envoy (2 of 2)

envoy2

or en·voi

[ en-voi, ahn- ]
/ ˈɛn vɔɪ, ˈɑn- /

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

2
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. 2020

Words related to envoy

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

Example sentences from the Web for envoy

British Dictionary definitions for envoy (1 of 2)

envoy1
/ (ˈɛnvɔɪ) /

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 forms of envoy

envoyship, 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

British Dictionary definitions for envoy (2 of 2)

envoy2

envoi

/ (ˈɛnvɔɪ) /

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