mission

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin missiō, missiōnem (“a sending, sending away, dispatching, discharging, release, remission, cessation”).

noun

1. (countable) A set of tasks that fulfills a purpose or duty; an assignment set by an employer, or by oneself.
2. (uncountable) Religious evangelism.
3. (in the plural, "the missions") Third World charities, particularly those which preach as well as provide aid.
4. (countable, Catholicism) An infrequent gathering of religious believers in a parish, usually part of a larger regional event with a central theme.
5. A number of people appointed to perform any service; a delegation; an embassy.
6. (obsolete) Dismissal; discharge from service
7. A settlement or building serving as a base for missionary work.
   Many cities across the Americas grew from Spanish missions.

verb

1. (transitive) To send on a mission.
2. (intransitive) To do missionary work, proselytize.