legate
/ˈlɛɡɪt/noun, verb
legate is spelled L-E-G-A-T-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 51,738th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, legate means “A deputy representing the pope, specifically a papal ambassador sent on special ecclesiastical missions” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of legate is legates.
How many letters and syllables are in legate?
| Letters | 6: L-E-G-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 51,738th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is legate?
Legate appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 51,738th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce legate?
- /ˈlɛɡɪt/
- /ˈlɛɡət/
- /ˈliːɡeɪt/
As a verb (“To leave as a legacy”): /ləˈɡeɪt/.
Legate has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-legate.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-legate2.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Qwertygiy-legate.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with legate?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as legate.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: eaglet, teagle.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of legate
- legates plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- legating participle, present
- legated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does legate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A deputy representing the pope, specifically a papal ambassador sent on special ecclesiastical missions.
- 2
An ambassador or messenger.
- 3
The deputy of a provincial governor or general in ancient Rome.
- 4
obsoleteA legacy or bequest.
verb
- 1
To leave as a legacy.
- 2
obsoletepast participle of legate
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate legate?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of legate: leg..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Legate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does legate come from?
Inherited from Old English legat(e), from Old French legat, from Latin lēgātus, substantivized from the perfect passive participle of lēgō (“to bequeath, send as envoy”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).