emissary · noun — an agent sent on a mission to represent the interests of someone else. It carries an Arena rating of 1614, earned across 5 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, emissary ranks #4,170 of 17,187 for Most Malleable Words, #5,451 of 17,171 for Scariest Words, #6,481 of 17,197 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #6,650 of 17,180 for Most Ingenious Words.
emissary is pronounced /ˈɛmɪs(ə)ɹi/.
Why “emissary” is a great word
An agent sent on a mission to represent or advance the interests of another, emerging in the early 17th century from French émissaire, from Latin ēmissārius ("agent, scout, spy"), from ēmiss-, the past participle stem of ēmittere ("to send out"), from ē- ("out") + mittere ("to send"). Unlike an "envoy," bound by formal diplomatic credentials, or a "messenger," who merely carries words, an emissary operates in the ambiguous space between instruction and interpretation, often clothed in plausible deniability. It is the figure in the unmarked coat passing documents in a rainswept plaza, the trusted counselor whispering terms in a rival's ear, the unofficial bearer of a peace that cannot yet be publicly acknowledged—a human instrument, poised between the will of their master and the uncertainty of the world they are sent to navigate, embodying the ancient truth that some purposes must travel incognito to arrive at all.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From French émissaire, from Latin emissarius (“agent, scout, spy”).
noun
- An agent sent on a mission to represent the interests of someone else.
- An agent sent on a mission to represent the interests of someone else.; Such an agent spreading a gospel.e.g.“Near-synonym: missionary”
- A venous channel in the skull.
- An underground channel by which the water of a lake escapes.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
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