From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishlegateleg‧ate /ˈleɡət/ noun [countable] PGOan important official representative, especially an official representative of the Pope
Examples from the Corpus
legate• In the halls of power Cistercians became papal confessors and were used by the popes as legates and preachers.• Though there were two papal legates, the Council was an Eastern affair, to solve an Eastern problem.• The dark figure on the raised white terrace; legate of the sun facing the sun; the most ancient royal power.• The sources of information were the letters, the legates and the local churchmen - all fragile.• Not for the first time, the legate had shown more enthusiasm for papal power than the pope.• They were the legates of conquest.• By September, after meetings with the legate and King Louis, a new agreement had been reached at Nonancourt.Origin legate (1100-1200) Old French legat, from Latin legatus, from the past participle of legare “to send as a representative, leave after your death”, from lex; → LEGAL 