Erende

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic term for a message, errand or piece of business that one person entrusts to another to carry out
2. Old spelling of a task, commission or journey undertaken on behalf of another person to deliver news or do a job
3. A medieval word meaning a mission, message or assignment given to a person to be delivered or completed for someone else

Etymology: In Old English, "ǣrende" meant a message or commission, the kind of thing a person was sent to deliver, and it was often used of a formal mission carried on someone else's behalf. Middle English kept that sense, and "erende" appears in texts where it means a communication or a commission entrusted to a messenger. Over time the emphasis moved from the words carried to the journey made to carry them. The modern "errand" descends from this Middle English form, and the sense narrowed further from a message to a short trip made for someone, usually a practical chore such as fetching goods or delivering a parcel. The spelling changed along the way, with a final "d" appearing in the later form, but the meaning stayed tied to being dispatched by another person.