Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Legate \Leg"ate\ (l[e^]g"[asl]t), n. [OE. legat, L. legatus, fr.
   legare to send with a commission or charge, to depute, fr.
   lex, legis, law: cf. F. l['e]gat, It. legato. See {Legal}.]
   1. An ambassador or envoy.

   2. An ecclesiastic representing the pope and invested with
      the authority of the Holy See.

   Note: Legates are of three kinds: ({a}) Legates a latere, now
         always cardinals. They are called ordinary or
         extraordinary legates, the former governing provinces,
         and the latter class being sent to foreign countries on
         extraordinary occasions. ({b}) Legati missi, who
         correspond to the ambassadors of temporal governments.
         ({c}) Legati nati, or legates by virtue of their
         office, as the archbishops of Salzburg and Prague.

   3. (Rom. Hist.)
      (a) An official assistant given to a general or to the
          governor of a province.
      (b) Under the emperors, a governor sent to a province.

Source : WordNet®

legate
     n : a member of a legation [syn: {official emissary}]