English
missive
Missive comes from Medieval Latin missīvus, and goes back to mittō ‘to send’.
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500mittō‘to send’
- Medieval Latin, derivedc. 600–1500missīvus
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1606–1607missive
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Medieval Latinc. 600–1500mittō‘to send’
- Medieval Latin, derivedc. 600–1500missīvus
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1606–1607missive
Earliest quotation: c. 1606–1607, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra: “[Y]ou / Did pocket vp my Letters: and with…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘change’
mean, community, common, met, minute, communication, minister, meal, minor, ministry, menu, mutual, communicate, communist, immune, mere, min, ammunition, immunity, compromise, minus, municipality, communal, mole, communism, communion, mural, ammo, mayhem, noodle, moor, commune, remuneration, mite, monolith, minstrel, communiqué, munition, mitra, mitre, 72 more
through Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂- ‘exchange, remove’
message, mad, mute, mutant, madden, mutate, transmutation, commutation, mutable, molt, misnomer, moult, commutative, 17 more
through Medieval Latin mittō ‘to send’
committee, admit, mess, commission, commit, permission, transmission, transmit, admission, submission, premise, intermittent, dismiss, emit, emission, omit, amit, omission, commissary, commissar, remiss, 30 more
Today it means
noun A written message; a letter, note or memo.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Medieval Latin mittō / missive