: 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.
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 WebThe defense minister of Belarus called his Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksii Reznikov, and presented himself as an emissary of Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Isabelle Khurshudyan, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2022 ABC News Live spoke with Bill Richardson, a former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., who has been a frequent emissary in hostage negotiations through the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, about the latest developments. Abc News, ABC News, 16 Aug. 2022 Fielder, who wears a laptop strapped to his chest, hovers over the proceedings like a bizarro middle-management emissary. Naomi Fry, The New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2022 The Pentagon’s top emissary to Silicon Valley is leaving his post later this year, following frustrations over a lack of funding to help the military adopt cutting-edge technology from start-ups. Amy Cheng, Washington Post, 18 June 2022 Pelosi has used her position to be an emissary for the U.S. on the global stage. Eileen Ng, BostonGlobe.com, 2 Aug. 2022 Pelosi has used her position in the U.S. Congress as an emissary for the U.S. on the global stage. Huizhong Wu And Eileen Ng, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Aug. 2022 In the meantime, Eden is taking advantage of a new opportunity to spread her messages of self-discovery, self-love and the power of music as an emissary for the Recording Industry Association of America. Nancy Kruh, PEOPLE.com, 29 July 2022 Earlier in May, as an extremist emissary of sorts, Republican Arizona state senator Wendy Rogers flew hundreds of miles to Idaho to campaign for Idaho Republican Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin’s gubernatorial run. Melissa Gira Grant, The New Republic, 3 June 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Latin emissarius, from emissus, past participle of emittere