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MISSIONER

 - 3 dictionary results

mis⋅sion⋅ar⋅y

[mish-uh-ner-ee] noun, plural -ar⋅ies, adjective
–noun Also, mis⋅sion⋅er.
1. a person sent by a church into an area to carry on evangelism or other activities, as educational or hospital work.
2. a person strongly in favor of a program, set of principles, etc., who attempts to persuade or convert others.
3. a person who is sent on a mission.
–adjective
4. pertaining to or connected with religious missions.
5. engaged in such a mission, or devoted to work connected with missions.
6. reflecting or prompted by the desire to persuade or convert others: the missionary efforts of political fanatics.
7. characteristic of a missionary.

Origin:
1635–45; < NL missiōnārius. See mission, -ary
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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mis·sion·er   (mĭsh'ə-nər)   
n.  A missionary.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

missionary  (n.)
1656, from mission (q.v.). Missionary position first attested 1969; allegedly so called because Christian missionaries forced it on "primitive" people to replace their more creative variations.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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