missions

nounperson's task, responsibility

Synonyms for missions

noun person's task, responsibility

Antonyms for missions

Word Origin & History

1590s, "a sending abroad," originally of Jesuits, from Latin missionem (nominative missio) "act of sending, a despatching; a release, a setting at liberty; discharge from service, dismissal," noun of action from past participle stem of mittere "to send," oldest form probably *smittere, of unknown origin.

Diplomatic sense of "body of persons sent to a foreign land on commercial or political business" is from 1620s. In American English, sometimes "an embassy" (1805). Meaning "dispatch of an aircraft on a military operation" (1929, American English) later extended to spacecraft flights (1962), hence, mission control (1964). As a style of furniture, said to be imitative of furniture in the buildings of original Spanish missions to North America, it is attested from 1900.

Example Sentences for missions

In Labrador these missions are largely, though by no means wholly, self-supporting.

The child of the Christian missionary has been the poet of Christian missions.

These are the rules of missions into foreign countries, and of the reception of strangers.

What a poor role, then, do English missions play outside English lands!

By what right do you send sentinels on missions of your own?

"We sure miss a lot of missions because of bad weather," Stan admitted.

Yet there are silly folk who say they do not believe in missions.

The young men who figure at embassies and missions are all "cognate numbers."

Christian missions have had no success in any Asiatic country.

The activities of the missions took on two forms—industrial and educational.