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emissary - 7 dictionary results

em⋅is⋅sar⋅y

  [em-uh-ser-ee] noun, plural -sar⋅ies, adjective
Use emissary in a Sentence
–noun
1. a representative sent on a mission or errand: emissaries to negotiate a peace.
2. an agent sent on a mission of a secret nature, as a spy.
3. Anatomy. sending or coming out, as certain veins that pass through the skull and connect the venous sinuses inside with the veins outside.
4. pertaining to an emissary.
–adjective
5. Archaic. sent forth, as on a mission.
Origin:
1595–1605; < L ēmissārius one sent out, equiv. to ēmiss- (see emission ) + -ārius -ary

Synonyms:
1. delegate, ambassador, envoy, legate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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em·is·sar·y   (ěm'ĭ-sěr'ē)   
n.   pl. em·is·sar·ies
An agent sent on a mission to represent or advance the interests of another.

[Latin ēmissārius, from ēmissus, past participle of ēmittere, to send out; see emit.]
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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Emissary

Em"is*sa*ry\, n.; pl. Emissaries. [L. emissarius, fr. emittere, emissum, to send out: cf. F. ['e]missaire. See Emit.] An agent employed to advance, in a covert manner, the interests of his employers; one sent out by any power that is at war with another, to create dissatisfaction among the people of the latter.

Buzzing emissaries fill the ears Of listening crowds with jealousies and fears. --Dryden.

Syn: Emissary, Spy.

Usage: A spy is one who enters an enemy's camp or territories to learn the condition of the enemy; an emissary may be a secret agent appointed not only to detect the schemes of an opposing party, but to influence their councils. A spy must be concealed, or he suffers death; an emissary may in some cases be known as the agent of an adversary without incurring similar hazard.

Emissary

Em"is*sa*ry\, a. 1. Exploring; spying. --B. Jonson.

2. (Anat.) Applied to the veins which pass out of the cranium through apertures in its walls.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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emissary 
1601, from L. emissarius, lit. "that is sent out," from emissus, pp. of emittere "send forth" (see emit).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: em·is·sary
Pronunciation: 'e-m&-"ser-E
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -sar·ies
: a representative usually empowered to act more or less independently (as in collecting or conveying information or in negotiating)
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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emissary em·is·sar·y (ěm'ĭ-sěr'ē)
n.
Any of various venous channels through the skull that connect the venous sinuses of the dura mater with veins external to the skull.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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