emissary

noun

em·​is·​sary ˈe-mə-ˌser-ē 

-ˌse-rē

plural emissaries

1

: one designated as the agent of another : representative

2

: a secret agent

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.

Synonyms

• ambassador
• envoy
• representative
• delegate
• minister

Examples of emissary in a Sentence

She acted as the president's personal emissary to the union leaders.

most of the industrialized nations of the world sent emissaries to the conference on global warming

Recent Examples on the Web

Volar, a dating app that launched in late 2023, even let people train an AI version of themselves that flirted with someone else’s AI as a pre‑date screening, like two emissaries handling the small talk before the generals sit down. —Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 22 Oct. 2025

Trump’s administration was right to send an emissary after ICE’s Hyundai raid to express regret and negotiate a new business visa process for South Koreans, despite criticism from the more anti-immigrant MAGA base. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2025

This week, a number of the continent’s trade emissaries and heads of state have pushed for an expeditious extension of the program’s benefits—namely, duty-free access to the United States market for more than 1,800 products from 32 countries. —Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 26 Sep. 2025

When Trump was running for President in 2016, at least one emissary from the campaign suggested to the Emirati rulers that Trump’s deal with Sajwani gave them an in. —David D. Kirkpatrick, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin emissarius, from emissus, past participle of emittere

First Known Use

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for emissary

• accessary
• adversary
• ancillary
• arbitrary
• aviary
• axillary
• beriberi
• breviary
• budgetary
• capillary
• catenary
• cautionary

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Kids Definition

emissary

noun

em·​is·​sary ˈem-ə-ˌser-ē 

plural emissaries

: a person sent on a mission to represent another

Legal Definition

emissary

noun

em·​is·​sary ˈe-mə-ˌser-ē 

plural emissaries

: a representative usually empowered to act more or less independently (as in collecting or conveying information or in negotiating)