messenger
part of speech
noun (a messenger, messengers)
meaning for a pupil
1) A person who carries a message, letter or parcel from one person or place to another. tree →
2) An app or service for sending text messages. tree →
3) (science) A substance in the body that carries signals, such as a hormone. tree →
sense in the lessons
In history and stories, messengers ran or rode horses to carry news. In everyday life people send messages on «Messenger» apps. Saying: «Don't shoot the messenger» means don't blame the person who brings bad news. Phrases: send a messenger, bike messenger, messenger bag.
examples
- The king sent a messenger with a letter. tree →
- The messenger rode through the night. tree →
- Don't shoot the messenger — I'm only telling you what Mum said! tree →
- A bike messenger delivered the parcel. tree →
- I sent Gran a photo on the messenger app. tree →
- Hormones are chemical messengers in the body. tree →
- The teacher made me the messenger to the office. tree →
- Pigeons were once used as messengers. tree →
- This is a messenger from Heaven. tree →
note
Countable: messengers. Note the «n» before «-ger»: messeNGer, not «messager». Related: message, message (verb, informal: «message me»).
In the corpora
- When fighting an infection the immune system releases chemical messengers, called cytokines, that make you sleepy so the body can save energy.
- The aches all over in flu come mostly from the immune system's chemical messengers, not from the virus attacking the muscles.
- Abraham welcomed three travellers with food and rest; they turned out to be messengers of God.
- Prophets were messengers who spoke God's word: they warned kings and people about injustice and gave hope in hard times.
- Prophets were messengers who spoke God's word, warned against injustice and gave hope.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «messenger» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.