emissary
noun
Did you know?
An emissary is often a person who is sent somewhere in order to act as a representative. The key in that sentence is sent; emissary derives from Latin emissus, the past participle of the verb emittere, meaning "to send out." By the early 17th century, it was a commonly seen and heard word. An earlier common emittere descendant is emit. In addition, emittere itself comes from Latin mittere ("to send"), which is an ancestor of many English words, including admit, commit, mission, omit, permit, premise, promise, and submit.
Did you know?
Like missionaries, emissaries are sent on missions. However, emissaries are more likely to be representing governments, political leaders, and nonreligious institutions, and an emissary's mission is usually to negotiate or to gather information. So a president may send a trusted emissary to a war-torn region to discuss peace terms. A company's CEO may send an emissary to check out another company that they may be thinking of buying. And a politician may send out an emissary to persuade a wealthy individual to become a supporter.
Examples of emissary in a Sentence
Pat Saperstein, Variety, 5 May 2025
Lyle has taken leadership roles in prison, as an emissary between the inmate population and the prison administration.
—Tim Arango, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
The aspiring restaurateur accidentally sells his soul to the devil for a PR blitz that includes a foodie magazine cover story – and the devil's emissary, Elias Woodstone (Matt Walsh), is trying to kill Jay to expedite the soul-collecting process.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 10 May 2025
According to Mathis, Moore soon became his emissary, collecting money from people who had borrowed from him.
—Doc Louallen, ABC News, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for emissary
Cite this Entry
“Emissary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emissary. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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