| 释义 |
ambassador, embassador|æm-, əmˈbæsədə(r)|
Forms: α. 4–6 ambassiatour, 5 -dour, ambaxadour, -tour(e, -tor, ambassatour, -tor, 5–8 -dour, 6–9 -dor. β. 4–5 embassatour, -etour, -adour, embasitour, 5 enbassatour, -itour, -ytour, enbasetore, 5–6 embassitour(e, 6 -iator, -eatour(e, -ytor, -ader, enbassadoure, 6–7 embassadour, -ore, 6–9 embassador. γ. 5 imbassadore, inbassetour, 5–6 imbassator, 6 -etor, -itor, -otor, -ador, imbasodor.
[The actual ambassador, -our, is a. Fr. ambassadeur (15th c. also ambaxadeur), ad. OSp. ambaxador (now emb-) and Pr. ambassador, cogn. w. It. ambasciatore, -dore, and OFr. (superseded by this adopted form) ambasseur (ambaseor, -asseor, -axeur, etc.). The innumerable early variants are chiefly adoptions or adaptations of the med.L. prop. *ambactiātor (agent-noun f. *ambactiāre; see ambassade), but found as ambaxi-, ambasci-, ambassi-, ambasi-ator, -itor; also with initial e and i, embassiator, imbassiator, etc.; varied with crosses between these and the Fr., and phonetic forms like embassader. Of these variants embassador, supported by embassy, was much more common than ambassador in 17–18th c., and was still the common spelling in United States in 19th c.
‘Our authors write almost indiscriminately embassador or ambassador, embassage or ambassage; yet there is scarce an example of ambassy, all concurring to write embassy.’ Johnson.]
1. a. An official messenger sent (singly, or as one of a party) by or to a sovereign or public body; an envoy, commissioner, or representative. esp. b. A minister of high rank sent by one sovereign or state on a mission to another. (In the general sense (mostly in plural) now only historical; and when used as in b., commonly qualified as Ambassador Extraordinary, to distinguish it from sense 2.)
αc1374Chaucer Troylus iv. 145 Thambassiatours hem answerd for final. c1425Wyntoun Cron. ix. ix. 119 Swilk request Of swilk Ambassatoures. c1460Fortescue Abs. & Lim. Mon. (1714) 49 Ambassators sent from Kyngs and Princis. c1465Eng. Chron. 48 The king sente ambassiatours ayen to king Charlis. 1489Caxton Faytes of Armes ii. xxxv. 149 The ambaxatoures of the cytee went and came for to treatte of peas. Ibid. i. v. 11 His ambassiadours auctorised to the duc of lancastre. Ibid. ii. v. 99 That thise ambassadours shulde not sprede suche wordes abrode. 1531Elyot Governour 8 But a feble answere to an ambassador. 1602Shakes. Ham. iv. vi. 10 Th' Ambassadours that was bound for England. 1768Blackstone Comm. I. i. vii. 189 The privileges of ambassadors are determined by the law of nature and nations. 1844Thirlwall Greece VIII. lxiv. 300 Ambassadors from Philip were also present.
βc1386Chaucer Pard. T. 275 Stilbon, that was a wis embasitour [v.r. embassadour—3, -atour, -etour, ambassatour]. 1398Trevisa Barth. De P.R. xvii. clxxv. (1495) 716 Embassatours: messengers and herdes. 1443Pol. Poems II. 210 Mediacioun of wise enbassitoures. a1450Knt. de la Tour 16 Whanne the king..sawe the embassitours. 1464Mann. & Househ. Exp. 250 My mastyr rode to mete the enbasetore. 1480Caxton Chron. Eng. vii. (1520) 130/1 Ther came solempne enbassatours fro the pope. Ibid. ccxlix. 319 Our enbassatours came home ageyne. 1523More in Ellis Orig. Lett. i. 69 I. 198 Th' Embassiator hath requyred his Grace to send his advice. 1526Tindale Hebr. iii. 1 The embasseatour and hye prest of ourre profession. 1529More Comf. agst. Tribul. iii. Wks. 1557, 1223/1 He hadde bene diuers times Embassiator. 1535Coverdale 2 Macc. iv. 44 Y⊇ embassitours were thre. 1542Brinklow Compl. xxiv. (1874) 69 Thei be also embassytors for princes. 1544Suppl. Hen. VIII, 14 Which also haue done to them good seruice as enbassadoures. 1599Shakes. Hen. V, i. i. 91 The French Embassador, vpon that instant Crau'd audience. a1617P. Bayne Ephes. (1658) 2 Kings dispatch Lords Embassadours into other countries. a1631Donne Poems (1650) 47 My tongue to Fame; to Embassadours mine eares. 1644Milton Areop. (Arb.) 37 Comming Embassadors to Rome. 1779Johnson Drake Wks. 1787 IV. 445 Our general received two embassadors from the King of the country. 1824Nares Herald. Anom. 74 Advising the Embassador speedily to return to his Imperial master.
γ1430Lydg. Chron. Troy i. iv, In haste hath sent his imbassadore unto Jason. c1450Gregory Chron. 106 Inbassetours fro the Duke of Orlyaunce. 1472Sir J. Paston in Lett. 703 III. 59 Imbassators of Bretayne shall come to London to morawe. 1544Plumpton Corr. 248 The French Imbasodor is gon to the Emporor. 1556Chron. Grey Friars 61 Proclamyd in the curte by ane imbassitor of France. 1662J. Bargrave Pope Alex. VII (1867) 51 Only a Cardinal of this family and of that have place..with imbassadors.
2. (= Ordinary or Resident Ambassador, formerly Ambassador Leger.) A minister at a foreign court, of the highest rank, who there permanently represents his sovereign or country, and has a right to a personal interview with the sovereign or chief magistrate of the country in which he resides.
1603Shakes. Meas. for M. iii. i. 58 Intends you for his swift Ambassador, Where you shall be an euerlasting Leiger. 1667Pepys Diary (1877) V. 167 The French Embassador in Holland. 1753Richardson Grandison (1781) II. xxxvii. 353 The English Embassador at the Porte. 1814Wellington in Gurwood Desp. XI. 681 That I should be the ambassador at Paris. 1880W. Cory Mod. Eng. Hist. I. 158 An Ambassador, unlike other ministers, has a right to a personal interview with the Sovereign of the country in which he resides.
3. An appointed or official messenger generally. (Formerly in common use, but now only fig., with distinct reference to the literal sense.)
1483Caxton G. de la Tour B ij b, [He] wente with his embassatours that is to saye his messageres. 1535Coverdale Prov. xiii. 17 A faithful embassitoure is wholsome. ― Isa. lii. 7 How bewtiful are the fete of the Embassitoure, yt bringeth the message from the mountayne. 1587Golding De Mornay xxvii. 434 The Ambassadour whome God meant to send afore him to prepare his wayes. 1596Shakes. Merch. V. ii. ix. 92 Yet I have not seen So likely an Embassador of loue. 1611Bible Transl. Pref. 1 The Embassadors and Messengers of the great King. 1796Pegge Anonym. x. lxix. (1809) 465 The fame of a man is his representative when absent, or his embassador. 1836Marryat Japhet III. 204 I require no ambassador from the ladies in question. 1847J. Yeowell Anc. Brit. Ch. Pref. 11 The honoured ambassador of Christ that first laboured in this vineyard.
4. Ambassador Leger (Ambassador legier, Ambassador lieger) (see sense 2); Ambassador Extraordinary (see sense 1); Ambassador Plenipotentiary: one with full power to sign treaties, and otherwise act for his sovereign.
1603Eng. Mourn. Garm. in Harl. Misc. (Malh.) II. 489 The ambassador-lieger of Spain..did plot and confederate with native traitors of this land. 1630Wadsworth Sp. Pilgr. i. 2 His Majesty sent him with his first Ambassador Legier..into Spaine. 1655Marquis of Worcester Cent. Inv. lvi, Two Extraordinary Embassadors accompanying His Majesty. 1663Marvell Corr. 44 Wks. 1875 II. 93 My Lord of Carlisle being chosen by his Majesty, Embassadour Extraordinary to Muscovy. 1753Hanway Trav. (1762) II. viii. iv. 202 Nominated as embassador-plenipotentiary to the court of Russia.
5. ambassador-at-large (U.S.), an ambassador appointed to perform special duties, and not accredited to any one government or sovereign. Also transf.
1908Busy Man's Mag. Sept. 122/1 If he ever does get his deserts, he will be designated as ambassador-at-large for the Canadian Pacific Railway. 1933U.S. Naval Inst. Proc. May 740/2 Conversations in London..between Premier MacDonald and Norman H. Davis, President Roosevelt's ambassador-at-large. |