Forms: α. 4–6 ambassiatour, 5 -dour, ambaxadour, -tour(e, -tor, ambassatour, -tor, 5–8 -dour, 6–9 -dor. β. 4–5 embassatour, -etour, -adour, embasitour, 5 enbassatour, -itour, -ytour, enbasetore, 5–6 embassitour(e, 6 -iator, -entour(e, -ytor, -ader, enbassadoure, 6–7 embassadour, -ore, 6–9 embassador. γ. 5 imbassadore, inbassetour, 5–6 imbassator, 6 -etor, -itor, -otor, -ador, imbasodor. [The actual ambassador, -our, is a. Fr. ambassadeur (15th c. also ambaxadeur), ad. OSp. ambaxador (now emb-) and Pr. ambassador, cogn. w. It. ambasciatore, -dore, and OFr. (superseded by this adopted form) ambasseur (ambascor, -asseor, -axeur, etc.). The innumerable early variants are chiefly adoptions or adaptations of the med.L. prop. *ambactiātor (agent-noun f. *ambactiāre; see AMBASSADE), but found as ambaxi-, ambasci-, ambassi-, ambasi-ator, -itor; also with initial e and i, embassiator, imbassiator, etc.; varied with crosses between these and the Fr., and phonetic forms like embassader. Of these variants embassador, supported by embassy, was much more common than ambassador in 17–18th c., and is still the common spelling in United States.]
(‘Our authors write almost indiscriminately embassador or ambassador, embassage or ambassage; yet there is scarce an example of ambassy, all concurring to write embassy.’ Johnson.)
1. a. An official messenger sent (singly, or as one of a party) by or to a sovereign or public body; an envoy, commissioner or representative. esp. b. A minister of high rank sent by one sovereign or state on a mission to another. (In the general sense (mostly in plural) now only historical; and when used as in b., commonly qualified as Ambassador Extraordinary, to distinguish it from sense 2.)
α. c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, IV. 145. Thambassiatours hem answerd for final.
c. 1425. Wyntoun, Cron., IX. ix. 119. Swilk request Of swilk Ambassatoures.
c. 1460. Fortescue, Abs. & Lim. Mon. (1714), 49. Ambassators sent from Kyngs and Princis.
c. 1465. Eng. Chron., 48. The king sente ambassiatours ayen to king Charlis.
1489. Caxton, Faytes of Armes, II. xxxv. 149. The ambaxatoures of the cytee went and came for to treatte of peas. Ibid., I. v. 11. His ambassiadours auctorised to the duc of lancastre. Ibid., II. v. 99. That thise ambassadours shulde not sprede suche wordes abrode.
1531. Elyot, Governour, 8. But a feble answere to an ambassador.
1602. Shaks., Haml., IV. vi. 10. Th’ Ambassadours that was bound for England.
1768. Blackstone, Comm., I. I. vii. 189. The privileges of ambassadors are determined by the law of nature and nations.
1844. Thirlwall, Greece, VIII. lxiv. 300. Ambassadors from Philip were also present.
β. c. 1386. Chaucer, Pard. T., 275. Stilbon, that was a wis embasitour [v.r. embassadour–3, -atour, -etour, ambassatour].
1398. Trevisa, Barth. De P. R., XVII. clxxv. (1495), 716. Embassatours: messengers and herdes.
1443. Pol. Poems, II. 210. Mediacioun of wise enbassitoures.
a. 1450. Knt. de la Tour, 16. Whanne the king … sawe the embassitours.
1464. Mann. & Househ. Exp., 250. My mastyr rode to mete the enbasetore.
1480. Caxton, Chron. Eng., VII. (1520), 130/1. Ther came solempne enbassatours fro the pope. Ibid., ccxlix. 319. Our enbassatours came home ageyne.
1523. More, in Ellis, Orig. Lett., I. 69, I. 198. Th’ Embassiator hath requyred his Grace to send his advice.
1526. Tindale, Hebr. iii. 1. The embasseatour and hye prest of ourre profession.
1529. More, Comf. agst. Tribul., III. Wks. 1557, 1223/1. He hadde bene diuers times Embassiator.
1535. Coverdale, 2 Macc. iv. 44. Ye embassitours were thre.
1542. Brinklow, Compl., xxiv. (1874), 69. Thei be also embassytors for princes.
1544. Suppl. Hen. VIII., 14. Which also haue done to them good seruice as enbassadoures.
1599. Shaks., Hen. V., I. i. 9. The French Embassador, vpon that instant Crau’d audience.
a. 1617. P. Bayne, Ephes. (1658), 2. Kings dispatch Lords Embassadours into other countries.
a. 1631. Donne, Poems (1650), 47. My tongue to Fame; to Embassadours mine eares.
1644. Milton, Areop. (Arb.), 37. Comming Embassadors to Rome.
1779. Johnson, Drake, Wks. 1787, IV. 445. Our general received two embassadors from the King of the country.
1824. Nares, Herald. Anom., 74. Advising the Embassador speedily to return to his Imperial master.
γ. 1430. Lydg., Chron. Troy, I. iv. In haste hath sent his imbassadore unto Jason.
c. 1450. Gregory, Chron., 106. Inbassetours fro the Duke of Orlyaunce.
1472. Sir J. Paston, in Lett., 703, III. 59. Imbassators of Bretayne shall come to London to morawe.
1544. Plumpton Corr., 248. The French Imbasodor is gon to the Emporor.
1556. Chron. Grey Friars, 61. Proclamyd in the curte by ane imbassitor of France.
1662. J. Bargrave, Pope Alex. VII. (1867), 51. Only a Cardinal of this family and of that have place … with imbassadors.
2. (= Ordinary or Resident Ambassador, formerly Ambassador Leger.) A minister at a foreign court, of the highest rank, who there permanently represents his sovereign or country, and has a right to a personal interview with the sovereign or chief magistrate of the country in which he resides.
1603. Shaks., Meas. for M., III. i. 58. Intends you for his swift Ambassador, Where you shall be an euerlasting Leiger.
1667. Pepys, Diary (1877), V. 167. The French Embassador in Holland.
1753. Richardson, Grandison (1781), II. xxxvii. 353. The English Embassador at the Porte.
1814. Wellington, in Gurwood’s Desp., XI. 681. That I should be the ambassador at Paris.
1880. W. Cory, Mod. Eng. Hist., I. 158. An Ambassador, unlike other ministers, has a right to a personal interview with the Sovereign of the country in which he resides.
3. An appointed or official messenger generally. (Formerly in common use, but now only fig., with distinct reference to the literal sense.)
1483. Caxton, G. de la Tour, B ij b. [He] wente with his embassatours that is to saye his messageres.
1535. Coverdale, Prov. xiii. 17. A faithful embassitoure is wholsome. Ibid., Isa. lii. 7. How bewtiful are the fete of the Embassitoure, yt bringeth the message from the mountayne.
1587. Golding, De Mornay, xxvii. 434. The Ambassadour whome God meant to send afore him to prepare his wayes.
1596. Shaks., Merch. V., II. ix. 92. Yet I have not seen So likely an Embassador of loue.
1611. Bible, Transl. Pref., 1. The Embassadors and Messengers of the great King.
1796. Pegge, Anonym., X. lxix. (1809), 465. The fame of a man is his representative when absent, or his embassador.
1836. Marryat, Japhet, III. 204. I require no ambassador from the ladies in question.
1847. Yeowell, Anc. Brit. Ch., Pref. 11. The honoured ambassador of Christ that first laboured in this vineyard.
4. Ambassador Leger (legier, lieger) (see sense 2); Ambassador Extraordinary (see sense 1); Ambassador Plenipotentiary: one with full power to sign treaties, and otherwise act for his sovereign.
1603. Eng. Mourn. Garm., in Harl. Misc. (Malh.), II. 489. The ambassador-lieger of Spain … did plot and confederate with native traitors of this land.
1630. Wadsworth, Sp. Pilgr., i. 2. His Majesty sent him with his first Ambassador Legier … into Spaine.
1655. Marq. Worcester, Cent. Inv., lvi. Two Extraordinary Embassadors accompanying His Majesty.
1663. Marvell, Corr., 44. Wks. 1875, II. 93. My Lord of Carlisle being chosen by his Majesty, Embassadour Extraordinary to Muscovy.
1753. Hanway, Trav. (1762), II. VIII. iv. 202. Nominated as embassador-plenipotentiary to the court of Russia.
