goodwill ambassador

English

Alternative forms

• GA (name title prefix abbreviation)
• GWA (name title suffix abbreviation)
• Goodwill Ambassador (as a legal title before a name)

Etymology

Origin 1927 when Calvin Coolidge, the United States president designated Col. Charles Lindbergh its Goodwill Ambassador during one of his most famous flights. As a compound word representing an honorific title that was merged over time from three lexemes good-will plus ambassador which is still used descriptively by the State of Kentucky to define the Kentucky Colonel as its "ambassador of good-will".

Goodwill from Middle English *goodwille, good wille (“goodwill”), perhaps from Old English *gōdwille (“goodwill”); compare Old English gōdwillende (“well-pleased”); also Scots guidwilly, guidwillie (“displaying goodwill”), equivalent to good +‎ will. Cognate with Scots guidwill (“goodwill”), Middle Low German gūtwille (“goodwill”), Old High German guotwilligi (“goodwill”), Old Danish godvilje (“goodwill”), Icelandic góðvilji, góðvili (“goodwill”), Icelandic góðvild (“goodness”).

Ambassador from Middle English ambassadore, from Anglo-Norman ambassadeur, from Old Italian ambassadore, from Old Occitan ambaisador (“ambassador”), derivative of ambaissa (“service, mission, errand”), from Medieval Latin ambasiator, from Gothic 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌱𐌰𐌷𐍄𐌹 (andbahti, “service, function”), from Proto-Germanic *ambahtiją (“service, office”), derivative of Proto-Germanic *ambahtaz (“servant”), from Gaulish ambaxtos, from Proto-Celtic *ambaxtos, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂m̥bʰi-h₂eǵ- (“drive around”), from *h₂m̥bʰi- (“around”) + *h₂eǵ- (“to drive”).

Displaced native Old English ǣrendraca.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡʊdˈwɪl/ IPA^(key): /æmˈbæs.ə.də(ɹ)/

• Audio (Southern England); “ambassador”:

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /æmˈbæs.ə.dɚ/, /æmˈbæs.əˌdɔɹ/

Usage notes

• When used as a title, the first letter is always capitalized.

Noun

goodwill ambassador (plural goodwill ambassadors)

1. A public figure who, as a volunteer, is an advocate for a good cause on behalf of a public organization.
   • 2021 February 25, Edith M. Lederer, “Russian supermodel Vodianova is new UN goodwill ambassador”, in AP News:

     Russian supermodel and philanthropist Natalia Vodianova became a United Nations goodwill ambassador on Wednesday, pledging to promote the sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls and tackle stigmas surrounding their bodies.

Derived terms

• global goodwill ambassador
• goodwill ambassador-at-large
• goodwill ambassadorship
• goodwill ambassadress
• goodwill diplomacy
• goodwill embassy