legate

American  

[leg-it] / ˈlɛg ɪt /

noun

1. an ecclesiastic delegated by the pope as his representative.

2. Roman History.

   1. an assistant to a general or to a consul or magistrate, in the government of any army or a province; a commander of a legion.

   2. a provincial governor of senatorial rank appointed by the emperor.

3. an envoy or emissary.

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legate British  

/ ˈlɛɡɪt, ˈlɛɡəˌtaɪn /

noun

1. a messenger, envoy, or delegate

2. RC Church an emissary to a foreign state representing the Pope

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Other Word Forms

• legateship noun
• legatine adjective
• underlegate noun

Etymology

Origin of legate

1125–75; Middle English legat < Latin lēgātus deputy (noun use of masculine past participle of lēgāre to depute), equivalent to lēgā ( re ) + -tus past participle suffix

Example Sentences

No kings, no emperor, some middlingly important nobles and one papal legate led the expedition.

From Salon • Jan. 6, 2022

In turn, each legion was led by a legionary legate, usually a powerful noble appointed by the imperial government or the emperor himself.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

Except for his time as legate, and for an ongoing feud with a notorious scoundrel named Regulus, the younger Pliny did not lead an especially eventful life.

From New York Times • Dec. 10, 2019

In the summer of 1497, he was a 22-year-old cardinal, sent as papal legate by his father, Pope Alexander VI, to crown the king of Naples and broker a royal marriage for his sister, Lucrezia.

From The Guardian • May 17, 2013

This matter came up for debate in the council of the Achaeans, where the legate of Antiochus persuaded them to remain neutral.

From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli