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mes·sage (mĕsĭj)
Share:
n.
1.
a. A usually short communication transmitted by words, signals, or other means from one person, station, or group to another: I found the message you left at my desk. She sent me a quick message by email.
b. The substance of such a communication; the point or points conveyed: gestured to a waiter, who got the message and brought the bill.
2. A statement made or read before a gathering: a retiring coach's farewell message.
3. A basic thesis or lesson; a moral: a play with a message.
v.tr. mes·saged, mes·sag·ing, mes·sag·es
1. To send a message to.
2. To send as a message: messaged the report by cable.
v.intr.
To send a message; communicate.
Idioms:
off message
Deviating from a planned set of remarks or positions: The aides worried that the candidate would make a gaffe if he went off message.
on message
Following a planned set of remarks or positions.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Medieval Latin missāticum, from Latin missus, past participle of mittere, to send.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.