envoy

English

Etymology

From French envoyé (“envoy, messenger”), from envoyer (“send”).

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɛn.vɔɪ/, /ˈɑn.vɔɪ/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈɛn.vɔɪ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

envoy (plural envoys)

1. (law) A diplomatic agent of the second rank, next in status after an ambassador.
3. A representative.

   special envoy to the United Nations

   • 1887, W. P. Groeneveldt, “Notes on the Malay Archipelago and Malacca”, in Miscellaneous Papers Relating to Indo-China and the Indian Archipelago‎, volume I, London: Trübner & Co., →OCLC, page 165:

     In the year 1460 the king Tu-ma-pan (Tumapel?)† sent envoys to carry tribute. When these envoys went back, and had arrived at An-ch’ing,‡ they got drunk and had a fight with foreign priests who came to bring tribute, and of whom six were killed.

4. A diplomat.
5. A messenger.
6. (poetry) Alternative spelling of envoi (“short stanza at end of poem”).

Synonyms

• (diplomatic agent of second rank): envoy extraordinary, minister plenipotentiary

Derived terms

• e-envoy
• envoyship

Translations

diplomatic agent of second rank

Georgian: დესპანი (desṗani) German: Gesandter (de) m, Gesandte (de) f Thai: รัฐทูต (rát-tà-tûut)

representative

Arabic: مَبْعُوث m (mabʕūṯ) Belarusian: пасла́ннік m (paslánnik) Bengali: দূত (bn) (dut) Burmese: သံ (my) (sam) Chinese: Mandarin: 使者 (zh) (shǐzhě) Czech: vyslanec (cs) m Dutch: gezant (nl) m Egyptian: (wpwtj) Finnish: edustaja (fi) French: envoyé (fr) m, émissaire (fr) m Georgian: დესპანი (desṗani) German: Gesandter (de) m, Gesandte (de) f Gothic: 𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌿𐍃 m (airus) Greek: αντιπρόσωπος (el) m (antiprósopos) Guaraní: temimbou Hindi: दूत (hi) m (dūt) Hungarian: követ (hu) Italian: inviato (it) m, inviata (it) f Japanese: 使者 (ja) (ししゃ, sisha) Khmer: ប្រេសិត (km) (preesət), ទូត (km) (tuut) Korean: 사자 (ko) (saja) Lao: ທູດ (thūt) Latin: lēgātus (la) m Malay: duta (ms) Maori: karere Norwegian: sendebud n Ottoman Turkish: ایلچی (elçi), سفیر (sefir) Pali: dūta m Polish: wysłannik (pl) m Portuguese: enviado (pt) m Russian: посла́нник (ru) m (poslánnik), посла́нец (ru) m (poslánec) Sanskrit: दूत (sa) m (dūta) Spanish: enviado (es) m Swedish: envoyé (sv) c Telugu: దూత (te) (dūta) Thai: ทูต (th) (tûut) Ukrainian: посла́нник m (poslánnyk) Vietnamese: phái viên (vi)