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From Middle English messengere, messingere, messangere, from Old French messanger, a variant of Old French messagier (French messager), equivalent to message +‎ -er. Doublet of messager.

For the replacement of -ager with -enger, -inger, -anger, compare passenger, harbinger, scavenger, porringer. This development may have been merely the addition of n, or it may have resulted due to contamination from other suffixes such as Middle English -ing and the rare Old French -ange, -enc, -inge, -inghe (-ing) for Old French -age (-age).


  • IPA(key): [ˈmɛ.sɪn.dʒəɹ]
  • (file)


messenger (plural messengers)

  1. One who brings messages.
  2. (nautical) A light line with which a heavier line may be hauled e.g. from the deck of a ship to the pier.
  3. The supporting member of an aerial cable (electric power or telephone or data).
  4. (law) A person appointed to perform certain ministerial duties under bankrupt and insolvent laws, such as to take charge of the estate of the bankrupt or insolvent.
  5. (computing) An instant messenger program.
  6. A forerunner.
  7. A light scudding cloud preceding a storm.
  8. A piece of paper, etc., blown up a string to a kite.
  9. (oceanography) A weight dropped down a line to close a Nansen bottle.
  10. The secretary bird.
  11. (Scotland) A messenger-at-arms.

Derived termsEdit



messenger (third-person singular simple present messengers, present participle messengering, simple past and past participle messengered)

  1. (transitive) To send something by messenger.
    I'll messenger over the signed documents.