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DictionarymissiveWritten message
noun

missive

MISS-iv/ˈmɪsɪv/

A letter or other written message.

A long handwritten missive lies beside an envelope and a fountain pen.

A long formal handwritten letter with several pages, envelope and fountain pen on a desk; writing indistinct.
Etymology
missLatinto send
+iveLatinfor or tending to

A missive was a letter characterized as sent, especially by superior authority. The adjective became a noun for the message itself, first including official commands and later letters more generally.

In context

Oculus Imperia18:01
the asares additionally had a missive to bring to the commander of Fleet ctis the enemy approached in numbers
Arks of Omen Part II: Angron, Daemon Primarch (Warhammer 40,000 Lore)

More examples

  • The director sends a formal missive explaining the new rules.
  • His latest missive fills three pages with complaints about parking.
  • She keeps her grandfather's wartime missives in a wooden box.

Forms

missive · missives

Similar words

letter
The everyday term, without missive's formal or humorous tone.
message
Broader than missive; can be spoken rather than written.
dispatch
An official report, often sent from a distant location.