Ambassy

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic spelling of embassy, meaning the mission or office a country sends to represent it in a foreign state
2. An old variant for the diplomatic mission a nation establishes abroad, led by an envoy to represent its government
3. Obsolete form denoting the official delegation or residence through which one state conducts relations with another

Etymology: The spelling "ambassy" is an old form of "embassy", and the two words share a surprising origin: a Gaulish word for a dependant or vassal. That term, "ambaxtos", literally meant "one who is sent around", built from roots meaning "around" and "drive" or "go". Its Proto-Celtic descendant passed into Germanic languages as a word for a servant or follower, and from there it travelled into Latin-based speech as "ambactia", meaning service rendered. The word then moved through Occitan, Italian and French, where it came to mean a message or an official mission. Its sense shifted from the servant who carried out a task to the mission itself, and then to the office or residence of a diplomat. English took it from Middle French "ambassee" and used the spelling "ambassy" before "embassy" became standard. "Ambassy" and "ambassade" are doublets, two forms of the same word that entered English by different routes.