envoy

C2+ Topic:Word Formation & Derivatives

US /ˈɛnvɔɪ/ UK /ˈɛnvɔɪ/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
a messenger or diplomatic representative

The president dispatched a special envoy to broker the ceasefire.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a messenger or diplomatic... emissary ambassador messenger delegate representative diplomat legate

Word family

Related forms envoi

Simplified etymology

Envoy entered English in the mid-17th century from French envoyé “sent,” derived from en voie “on the way.” French voie ultimately comes from Latin via “way, road,” making an envoy someone sent on their way.

Etymology

From French envoyé ('one sent'), past participle of envoyer ('to send'), from Old French enveier, from Latin inviare ('to send on a way'), from in- + via ('road, way').

envoyé French inviare Latin via Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Word Formation & Derivatives General Vocabulary

External links

# envoy

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈɛnvɔɪ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈɛnvɔɪ/

## Meanings
1. a messenger or diplomatic representative

## Examples
- The president dispatched a special envoy to broker the ceasefire.

## Synonyms
- emissary
- ambassador
- messenger
- delegate
- representative
- diplomat
- legate

## Related Forms
- envoi

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: envoyé
- Root: inviare
- Root: via

## Etymology
From French envoyé ('one sent'), past participle of envoyer ('to send'), from Old French enveier, from Latin inviare ('to send on a way'), from in- + via ('road, way').

## AI Etymology
Envoy comes from French envoyé ('one sent'), past participle of envoyer ('to send'), from Old French enveier, from Latin inviare ('to send on a way'), from in- + via ('road, way'). The etymological trail includes French envoyé, Latin inviare, and Latin via. As a noun, envoy names a messenger or diplomatic representative. The same family is visible in related forms such as envoi. The analysis is partly morphological, with the modern form built from the elements named in the history.

## Topics
- Word Formation & Derivatives
- General Vocabulary

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