I. ˈmi-shən noun
Etymology: New Latin, Medieval Latin, & Latin; New Latin mission-, missio religious mission, from Medieval Latin, task assigned, from Latin, act of sending, from mittere to send
Date: 1530
1. obsolete : the act or an instance of sending
2.
a. : a ministry commissioned by a religious organization to propagate its faith or carry on humanitarian work
b. : assignment to or work in a field of missionary enterprise
c.
(1) : a mission establishment
(2) : a local church or parish dependent on a larger religious organization for direction or financial support
d. plural : organized missionary work
e. : a course of sermons and services given to convert the unchurched or quicken Christian faith
3. : a body of persons sent to perform a service or carry on an activity: as
a. : a group sent to a foreign country to conduct diplomatic or political negotiations
b. : a permanent embassy or legation
c. : a team of specialists or cultural leaders sent to a foreign country
4.
a. : a specific task with which a person or a group is charged
b.
(1) : a definite military, naval, or aerospace task
a bombing mission
a space mission
(2) : a flight operation of an aircraft or spacecraft in the performance of a mission
a mission to Mars
c. : a preestablished and often self-imposed objective or purpose
statement of the company's mission
5. : calling , vocation
II. transitive verb
( mis·sioned ; mis·sion·ing ˈmi-sh(ə-)niŋ)
Date: 1692
1. : to send on or entrust with a mission
2. : to carry on a religious mission among or in
III. adjective
Date: 1900
1. : of or relating to a style used in the early Spanish missions of the southwestern United States
mission architecture
2. : of, relating to, or having the characteristic of a style of plain heavy usually oak furniture originating in the United States in the early part of the 20th century