leg·ate

(lĕg′ĭt)

n. Abbr. leg.

An official emissary, especially an official representative of the pope.

[Middle English, from Old French legat, from Medieval Latin lēgātus, from Latin, past participle of lēgāre, to depute; see leg- in Indo-European roots.]

leg′ate·ship′ n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

legate

(ˈlɛɡɪt)

1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a messenger, envoy, or delegate

2. (Roman Catholic Church) RC Church an emissary to a foreign state representing the Pope

[Old English, via Old French from Latin lēgātus deputy, from lēgāre to delegate; related to lēx law]

ˈlegateˌship n

legatine adj

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

leg•ate

(ˈlɛg ɪt)

n.

1. an ecclesiastic delegated by the pope as his representative.

2. (in ancient Rome)

a. an assistant to a general or to the governor of a province.

b. a provincial governor appointed by the emperor.

3. an envoy or emissary.

[1125–75; Middle English legat < Latin lēgātus, n. use of masculine past participle of lēgāre to send as a legate, commission, bequeath, derivative of lēx law]

leg′ate•ship`, n.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

legate - a member of a legation

official emissary

foreign mission, legation - a permanent diplomatic mission headed by a minister

emissary, envoy - someone sent on a mission to represent the interests of someone else

legate

noun representative, deputy, ambassador, delegate, envoy, messenger, emissary, depute (Scot.), nuncio Pope Innocent VI's legate

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

Translations

legato papale Legato Pontificio Legazione

легат

legate

[ˈlegɪt] N → legado m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

legate

[ˈlɛgət] n (= representative) → légat m

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

legate

n → Legat m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

The Locrians were laid waste by a legate of Scipio, yet they were not avenged by him, nor was the insolence of the legate punished, owing entirely to his easy nature.

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"Then it is not the same one," said Gisquette, "that was given two years ago, on the day of the entrance of monsieur the legate, and where three handsome maids played the parts--"

"That which is suitable for a legate," returned the stranger, with a good deal of dryness, "is not suitable for a princess."

"How well I remember that!" exclaimed Gisquette; "God on the cross, and the two thieves on the right and the left." Here the young gossips, growing warm at the memory of the entrance of monsieur the legate, both began to talk at once.

"And when the legate passed, you remember, Gisquette?

"And when the legate passed, they let fly on the bridge more than two hundred sorts of birds; wasn't it beautiful, Liénarde?"

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"Spada knew what these invitations meant; since Christianity, so eminently civilizing, had made progress in Rome, it was no longer a centurion who came from the tyrant with a message, `Caesar wills that you die.' but it was a legate a latere, who came with a smile on his lips to say from the pope, `His holiness requests you to dine with him.'

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Cardinal Caprara, the Pope's legate at Paris, defended himself from the glances of Napoleon by an immense pair of green spectacles.

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An Empress wrote to her, with her own hand, as 'Ma chere cousine.' At a lever-du-roi one morning (do you know what a lever-du-roi was?)--a Cardinal, a Papal legate, offered to put on her stockings; a high and holy person like that looked on it as an honour!

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It is certain, however, that Cesarine, the residuary legate of the old man, received from his estate only six hundred francs a year.

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They were described in 'fair condition.' Archbishop Domenico Umberto D'Ambrosio, Papal legate to the shrine in San Giovanni Rotondo, said: 'The top part of the skull is partly skeletal but the chin is perfect and the rest of the body, well preserved.'

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