The Etymology of Envoy
Every envoy is, etymologically, someone placed on a road.βββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββββ The word comes from French 'envoyΓ©,' the past participle of 'envoyer' (to send), tracing back through Vulgar Latin '*inviare' to Latin 'via,' meaning road or way. When English borrowed the word in the 1660s, European diplomacy was entering its golden age, and courts needed precise terms to distinguish ranks of representatives. An envoy occupied a specific tier: above a mere messenger but below a full ambassador, who alone could speak with the personal authority of a sovereign. The same Latin root produced a remarkable family of English words. A convoy travels with you on the way. An invoice was originally a list of goods sent on their way. A voyage is a journey along the way.