mission en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈmɪʃ.ən/
- (General-American) audio
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *mey-? Proto-Indo-European *meyth₂- Proto-Indo-European *-eti Proto-Indo-European *méyth₂eti Proto-Italic *meitō Old Latin mītō Latin mittō Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin missiōlbor. English mission Learned borrowing from Latin missiō, missiōnem (“a sending, sending away, dispatching, discharging, release, remission, cessation”).
Meanings
- (countable) A set of tasks that fulfills a purpose or duty; an assignment set by an employer, or by oneself.
-
(countable, uncountable) A important goal or purpose; an objective.
[She] made it her mission in life to make sure that no one around them would ever know the real truth. But this daughter of hers, she was a loose cannon, she was not someone to be trusted.[…]
2008 October 16, Martina Cole, The Business: A compelling suspense thriller of danger and destruction, Headline, →ISBN:The first page [of her CV] was a statement of her mission and role in life, which was to add the highest value in everything she undertook. On page two, we listed her primary governing values and operating principles. The third page listed her objectives[…]
2013 September 30, Ratanjit, How Oneness Changes Everything: Empowering Business Through 9 Universal Laws, BalboaPress, →ISBN, page 213:
- (countable) A missionary expedition.
- (countable, in-plural, qualifier:"the missions", uncountable) Third World charities, particularly those which preach as well as provide aid.
- (countable) An infrequent gathering of religious believers in a parish, usually part of a larger regional event with a central theme.
-
(countable, uncountable) A number of people appointed to perform any service; a delegation; an embassy.
[I]n either of theſe Ships, there ſhould be a Miſsion of three of the Fellowes, or Brethren of Salomons Houſe; [...]
1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “New Atlantis. A Worke Vnfinished.”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC, pages 18–19:
- (countable, obsolete, uncountable) Dismissal; discharge from service
-
(countable, uncountable) A settlement or building serving as a base for missionary work.
Many cities across the Americas grew from Spanish missions.
- (Australia, countable, qualifier:becoming obsolete, uncountable) An settlement predominantly inhabited by Indigenous Australians living in housing commission.
- (countable, slang, uncountable) A drug run.
-
(colloquial, countable, uncountable) An ordeal; an difficult, trying task.
I was thinking like meat, [you could use this wooden device to] tenderize a steak ... but not into a wooden box, 'cause it's gonna be a mission to clean.
2025 July 30, Ben Ebbrell, Sorted Food, Can Antique Gadgets Handle Modern Cooking?, 18:23:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| missions | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
rescue mission · space mission · fire mission · mission accomplished · missionless · missionise · mission creep · mission home · diplomatic mission · missionize · submission · multimission · mission station · mission school · Mission olive · Mission Indian · mission impossible · transmission · mission mixture · mission mix · permission · on a mission · mission manzanita · permanent mission · missionee · remission · chef de mission · intermission · antimission · suicide mission · side mission · inner mission · Mission Ridge · Mission golden-eyed treefrog · mission statement · mission kill · intromission · countermission · missional · mission-critical · mission stiff · missionization
Relateds
submit · demission · pretermit · missionary · missile · intermit · admission · demiss · admit · remit · surmise · message · admissible · intermission · emit · permit · promise · manumission · emission · mess · commission · premise · transmit · omit · demit · messenger · commit · manumit · missive
Translations (136)
io misiono (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · de Auftrag (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · ko 선교 (religious evangelism) · uk зада́ча (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · el αποστολή (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · nl opdracht (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · is trúboð (religious evangelism) · id tugas (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · uk завда́ння (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · ro misiune (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · he מְשִׂימָה (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · ur کار (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · ro misiune (religious evangelism) · oc mission (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · fo kristniboð (religious evangelism) · ru поруче́ние (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · da mission (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · ro misie (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · ko 전도 (religious evangelism) · la missio (religious evangelism) · la expedītiō (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · ko 포교 (religious evangelism) · ja 使命 (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · be даручэ́нне (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · ro însărcinare (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · ko 사명 (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · ja 任務 (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · nl missie (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · ka მისია (religious evangelism) · nl missie (religious evangelism) · nb misjon (religious evangelism) · ko 임무 (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · sk poslanie (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · ml ദൗത്യം (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · cy cyrch (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · egy wp:p-W:t-Z9-A2 (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · cy cenhadaeth (religious evangelism) · es misión (religious evangelism) · ru зада́ние (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · id misi (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · fr mission (religious evangelism) · fi tehtävä (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · ka დავალება (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · cy misiwn (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · lv uzdevums (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · fi missio (religious evangelism) · pl misja (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · pl zadanie (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · be зада́нне (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · vi sứ mệnh (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · cmn 任務 /任务 (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · bg зада́ча (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · sh мѝсија (religious evangelism) · ko 홍도 (religious evangelism) · fr mission (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · sv uppdrag (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · ru ми́ссия (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · da opgave (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · la missio (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · it missione (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · uk мі́сія (religious evangelism) · ca missió (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · lt užduotis (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · pt missão (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · ru ми́ссия (religious evangelism) · vi nhiệm vụ (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · uk дору́чення (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · nb oppdrag (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · mi whakatakanga (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · uk мі́сія (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · cmn 傳教活動 /传教活动 (religious evangelism) · tg супориш (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · et ülesanne (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · ms misi (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · de Mission (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · pt missão (religious evangelism) · sh mìsija (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · is kristniboð (religious evangelism) · fi lähetystyö (religious evangelism) · ru зада́ча (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · be мі́сія (religious evangelism) · ja 弘道 (religious evangelism) · uk припору́ка (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · es misión (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · vi khu truyền giáo (settlement or building serving as a base for missionary work) · fa-ira مَأْمورِیَّت (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · be мі́сія (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · ar مُهِمَّة (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · rsk мисия (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · mk мисија (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · cmn 使命 (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · is hlutverk (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · sl naloga (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · sk misia (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · th ภารกิจ (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · tr görev (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · sh мѝсија (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · ja 布教 (religious evangelism) · nl zending (religious evangelism) · cs misie (religious evangelism) · ca missió (religious evangelism) · cs mise (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · cs poslání (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · ar مَأْمُورِيَّة (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · fi lähetys (religious evangelism) · mk задача (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · sw misheni (religious evangelism) · hu misszió (religious evangelism) · hy առաքելություն (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · es misión (settlement or building serving as a base for missionary work) · ja 宣教 (religious evangelism) · mi mīhana (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · ja 伝道 (religious evangelism) · ms hala tuju (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · fo trúboð (religious evangelism) · cy cenhadaeth (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · sv mission (religious evangelism) · bg ми́сия (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · sh mìsija (religious evangelism) · io misiono (religious evangelism) · grc ἀποστολή (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · la expeditio (religious evangelism) · pl misja (religious evangelism) · tl misyon (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · be зада́ча (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · da mission (religious evangelism) · he מִיסְיוֹן (religious evangelism) · grc πέμψις (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · eo misio (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · bg ми́сия (religious evangelism) · sl misijon (religious evangelism) · hu küldetés (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · de Mission (religious evangelism) · hu misszió (set of tasks that fulfills a purpose) · mi mīhana (religious evangelism) · vi hội thiện nguyện (infrequent gathering of religious believers in a parish)