# embassy

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɛmbəsi/ · frequency rank #5,787

## Definitions
1. The function or duty of an ambassador.
2. An organization or group of officials who permanently represent a sovereign state in a second sovereign state or with respect to an international organization such as the United Nations.
3. A temporary mission representing a sovereign state.
4. The official residence of such a group, or of an ambassador.
5. A written account as to an embassy.

## Etymology
Modern variant of obsolete ambassy, from Middle French ambassee (“mission, embassy”), from Old French ambascee (also enbassee (“message for a high official, official mission”)) from Old Italian ambasciata, from Old Occitan ambaissada (“embassy”), derived from ambaissa (“message”), from Late Latin ambactia (“service rendered”) (attested also as ambascia, from Proto-Germanic *ambahtiją (“service”), *ambahtaz (“follower, servant”), from Gaulish ambaxtos (“dependant, vassal”, literally “one who is sent around”), from Proto-Celtic *ambaxtos (“servant”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi-h₂eǵ- (“drive around”); compare Latin ambactus, Old Irish amus, amsach (“mercenary, servant”), Welsh amaeth (“tenant farm”)). Doublet of ambassade.

## Common misspellings (9)
`ebmassy`, `emabssy`, `embassyy`, `embasy`, `embasys`, `embbassy`, `embsasy`, `emmbassy`, `mebassy`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/embassy