Mission Means Something Sent
A mission is a task someone is sent to do. The word covers military operations, religious work and corporate statements, all from one Latin verb.
A mission is a task or purpose someone is sent to carry out. The Latin *mittere*, to send, holds the whole family together: a mission is what is sent, a missionary is one who is sent, and a missile is something sent very fast indeed. The corporate mission statement is a twentieth-century arrival and the least popular member of the family.
- A task someone is sent to do. *A rescue mission.*
- Religious work abroad. *A medical mission.*
- An organisation's purpose. *Our mission statement.*
- A spaceflight. *The Apollo missions.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | mission | A training mission. |
| Plural | missions | Six missions. |
| Person | missionary | A missionary doctor. |
| Verb | commission | Commission a study. |
| Related | emissary | A special emissary. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The mission was aborted after twenty minutes.Aviation and space use.
- She is on a mission to fix the filing.Light figurative use.
- The charity revised its mission statement.Business and non-profit language.
The sending family
- Mission — what is sent, or the task
- Missile — something thrown or launched
- Emit — send out
- Admit — let in, literally send toward
- Dismiss — send away
From Latin *missionem*, a sending, from *mittere*, to send. The religious sense came first in English, followed by the diplomatic and then the military.
What is a mission statement?
A short public declaration of an organisation's purpose. It is meant to guide decisions, though it often ends up on a wall instead.
Mission or objective?
A mission is the overall task; objectives are the specific results it is broken into.