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mission

- 6 dictionary results

mis⋅sion

[mish-uhn]
–noun
1. a group or committee of persons sent to a foreign country to conduct negotiations, establish relations, provide scientific and technical assistance, or the like.
2. the business with which such a group is charged.
3. a permanent diplomatic establishment abroad; embassy; legation.
4. Military. an operational task, usually assigned by a higher headquarters: a mission to bomb the bridge.
5. Aerospace. an operation designed to carry out the goals of a specific program: a space mission.
6. a group of persons sent by a church to carry on religious work, esp. evangelization in foreign lands, and often to establish schools, hospitals, etc.
7. an establishment of missionaries in a foreign land; a missionary church or station.
8. a similar establishment in any region.
9. the district assigned to a missionary.
10. missionary duty or work.
11. an organization for carrying on missionary work.
12. Also called rescue mission. a shelter operated by a church or other organization offering food, lodging, and other assistance to needy persons.
13. missions, organized missionary work or activities in any country or region.
14. a church or a region dependent on a larger church or denomination.
15. a series of special religious services for increasing religious devotion and converting unbelievers: to preach a mission.
16. an assigned or self-imposed duty or task; calling; vocation.
17. a sending or being sent for some duty or purpose.
18. those sent.
–adjective
19. of or pertaining to a mission.
20. (usually initial capital letter) noting or pertaining to a style of American furniture of the early 20th century, created in supposed imitation of the furnishings of the Spanish missions of California and characterized by the use of dark, stained wood, by heaviness, and by extreme plainness.
Also called foreign mission (for defs. 3, 6).


Origin:
1590–1600; 1925–30 for def. 4; < L missiōn- (s. of missiō) a sending off, equiv. to miss(us) (ptp. of mittere to send) + -iōn- -ion


mis⋅sion⋅al, adjective

Mis⋅sion

[mish-uhn]
–noun
a city in S Texas. 22,589.
mis·sion   (mĭsh'ən)   
n.  
    1. A body of persons sent to conduct negotiations or establish relations with a foreign country.
    2. The business with which such a body of persons is charged.
    3. A permanent diplomatic office abroad.
    4. A body of experts or dignitaries sent to a foreign country.
    5. A body of persons sent to a foreign land by a religious organization, especially a Christian organization, to spread its faith or provide educational, medical, and other assistance.
    6. A mission established abroad.
    7. The district assigned to a mission worker.
    8. A building or compound housing a mission.
    9. An organization for carrying on missionary work in a territory.
    10. missions Missionary duty or work.
    11. A special assignment given to a person or group: an agent on a secret mission.
    12. A combat operation assigned to a person or military unit.
    13. An aerospace operation intended to carry out specific program objectives: a mission to Mars.
    1. A body of persons sent to a foreign land by a religious organization, especially a Christian organization, to spread its faith or provide educational, medical, and other assistance.
    2. A mission established abroad.
    3. The district assigned to a mission worker.
    4. A building or compound housing a mission.
    5. An organization for carrying on missionary work in a territory.
    6. missions Missionary duty or work.
    7. A special assignment given to a person or group: an agent on a secret mission.
    8. A combat operation assigned to a person or military unit.
    9. An aerospace operation intended to carry out specific program objectives: a mission to Mars.
  1. A Christian church or congregation with no cleric of its own that depends for support on a larger religious organization.
  2. A series of special Christian services for purposes of proselytizing.
  3. A welfare or educational organization established for the needy people of a district.
    1. A special assignment given to a person or group: an agent on a secret mission.
    2. A combat operation assigned to a person or military unit.
    3. An aerospace operation intended to carry out specific program objectives: a mission to Mars.
  4. An inner calling to pursue an activity or perform a service; a vocation.
tr.v.   mis·sioned, mis·sion·ing, mis·sions
  1. To send on a mission.
  2. To organize or establish a religious mission among or in.
adj.  
  1. Of or relating to a mission.
  2. Of or relating to a style of architecture or furniture used in the early Spanish missions of California.
  3. often Mission Of, relating to, or having the distinctive qualities of an early 20th-century style of plain, heavy, dark-stained wood furniture.

[French, from Old French, from Latin missiō, missiōn-, from missus, past participle of mittere, to send off.]
mis'sion·al adj.

Mission

Mis"sion\, n. [L. missio, fr. mittere, missum, to send: cf. F. mission. See Missile.]

1. The act of sending, or the state of being sent; a being sent or delegated by authority, with certain powers for transacting business; comission.

Whose glorious deeds, but in these fields of late, Made emulous missions' mongst the gods themselves. --Shak.

2. That with which a messenger or agent is charged; an errand; business or duty on which one is sent; a commission.

How to begin, how to accomplish best His end of being on earth, and mission high. --Milton.

3. Persons sent; any number of persons appointed to perform any service; a delegation; an embassy.

In these ships there should be a mission of three of the fellows or brethren of Solomon's house. --Bacon.

4. An assotiation or organization of missionaries; a station or residence of missionaries.

5. An organization for worship and work, dependent on one or more churches.

6. A course of extraordinary sermons and services at a particular place and time for the special purpose of quickening the faith and zeal participants, and of converting unbelievers. --Addis & Arnold.

7. Dismission; discharge from service. [Obs.]

Mission school. (a) A school connected with a mission and conducted by missionaries. (b) A school for the religious instruction of children not having regular church privileges.

Syn: Message; errand; commission; deputation.

Mission

Mis"sion\, v. t. To send on a mission. [Mostly used in the form of the past participle.] --Keats.
Language Translation for : mission
Spanish: misión,
German: der Auftrag,
Japanese: 任務

mission 
1598, originally of Jesuits sending members abroad, from L. missionem (nom. missio) "act of sending," from mittere "to send," oldest form probably *smittere, of unknown origin. Diplomatic sense of "body of persons sent to a foreign land on commercial or political business" is from 1626. In Amer.Eng., sometimes "an embassy" (1805). Meaning "dispatch of an aircraft on a military operation" (1929, Amer.Eng.) later extended to spacecraft flights (1962), hence, mission control (1964). As a style of furniture, said to be imitative of furniture of original Sp. missions to N.America, it is attested from 1900.
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