English Dictionary
Definition of “missive”
missive (ˈmɪsɪv
)
Definitions
noun
- a formal or official letter
- a formal word for letter
adjective
- rare sent or intended to be sent
Word Origin
C15: from Medieval Latin missivus , from mittere to send
Usage examples
It was a curiously detached little missive , not that far removed from a hotel manager's note of thanks to a returning guest.
Clive Barker, GALILEE (2001)Taking a sip from his cup of hot chocolate, Kumar began writing the missive.
Business Today (2000)Netshitenzhe's missive is long on rhetoric and faulty analogy, short on logic and facts.
SA Star (2005)The Chancellor should have been anticipating such a missive.
Times, Sunday Times (2002)Christiaan, well and truly stung by Oldenburg's latest inflammatory missive , replied within the week:
Lisa Jardine, THE CURIOUS LIFE OF ROBERT HOOKE: The Man who Measured London (2003)
