legate
/ˈlɛɡɪt/
More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations
nonstandard/ˈliːɡeɪt/
legate noun: a deputy representing the pope, specifically a papal ambassador sent on special ecclesiastical missions. Also the past participle of legate.
Noun (1)
legate (plural legates)
- A deputy representing the pope, specifically a papal ambassador sent on special ecclesiastical missions.
- An ambassador or messenger.
- Moſt great and puiſant Monarke of the earth,
Your Baſſoe wil accompliſh your beheſt:
And ſhew your pleaſure to the Perſean,
As fits the Legate of the ſtately Turke.c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC... - The dark figure on the raised white terrace; legate of the sun facing the sun; the most ancient royal power.1965, John Fowles, The Magus
- Moſt great and puiſant Monarke of the earth,
- The deputy of a provincial governor or general in ancient Rome.
- Legate, I had the news last night—my cohort ordered home
By ships to Portus Itius and thence by road to Rome.1911, Rudyard Kipling, “The Roman Centurion’s Song”, in The History of England
- Legate, I had the news last night—my cohort ordered home
Verb
IPA/ləˈɡeɪt/
legate (third-person singular simple present legates, present participle legating, simple past and past participle legated)
Noun (2)
legate (plural legates)
Proper noun capitalized: Legate
Legate (plural Legates)
- A surname.
Also used as
legate is also the past participle of legate.
Forms of legate
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | legates |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | legates |
| present participle | legating |
| past participle | legated |
| past | legated |
| Proper noun | |
| plural | Legates |
Origin of legate
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”).
Borrowed from Latin lēgātus, perfect passive participle of lēgō (“to bequeath, leave as legacy, legate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix) and -ate (adjective-forming suffix).
Borrowed from Latin lēgātum (“a legacy”), substantivized from the neuter forms of the perfect passive participle of lēgō (“to bequeath, leave as legacy, legate”). Doublet of legacy.
Words formed from legate
Questions about legate
- What does legate mean?
- Legate means a deputy representing the pope, specifically a papal ambassador sent on special ecclesiastical missions.
- What part of speech is legate?
- Legate can be a noun, a verb or a proper noun.
- How do you pronounce legate?
- Legate is pronounced /ˈlɛɡɪt/.
- What is the plural of legate?
- The plural of legate is legates.
Words near legate in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: legate (page history and authors); Legate (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-legate.wav, LL-Q1860 (eng)-Qwertygiy-legate.wav.
Cite this entry: “legate.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/legate. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.