despatch
part of speech
verb (despatch, despatches, despatched, despatching); noun (despatch, a despatch)
meaning for a pupil
1) To despatch something is to send it off, especially a parcel, letter or message. tree →
2) To despatch someone is to send them somewhere to do a job. tree →
3) (formal) To despatch a task is to do it quickly; (old) to despatch someone can mean to kill them. tree →
4) A despatch is a sending, or an official report or message, for example from a war. tree →
sense in the lessons
In the Tanakh and Jewish tradition: Here it means to kill, to put someone to death with the sword. Interpretation: Ezekiel's picture of punishment for Oholah and Oholibah is read as a warning about unfaithfulness to God. In the primary lessons: Despatch is a British spelling of dispatch. In shops and online orders: «your order has been despatched». In history and war stories: soldiers «mentioned in despatches» were praised in official reports. Phrases: «with despatch» (quickly), «despatch rider» (a messenger on a motorbike).
examples
- And the assembly shall stone them with stones, and despatch them with their swords; they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn up their houses with fire. (Prophets EZK.23.47, JPS 1917) tree →
- Your parcel was despatched this morning. tree →
- The ambulance was despatched to the accident. tree →
- The general sent a despatch to London. tree →
- She despatched her homework in ten minutes. tree →
- In the old story, the knight despatched the dragon. tree →
- Despatch riders carried messages in the war. tree →
- They then despatched a herald on board of her, demanding the surrender of Medea and the Fleece. tree →
note
Same as dispatch (more common today, especially in the US). Regular verb. Plural noun: despatches. Both spellings are correct.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «despatch» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.