Hypertext Webster Gateway: "emissary"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
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.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
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.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
emissary
n : someone sent on a mission to represent the interests of
someone else [syn: {envoy}]
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