dispatch rider
1
8.3
- noun
- Archaic
:
mensajero
Examples
-
A dispatch rider arrived from the Paradise River Patrol.
-
A dispatch rider galloped up to Lee.
Fiction book (1992) -
Seefeld was a motorcycle dispatch rider—a hair-raising job—and he often found himself careering down desert highways with shells exploding all around him.
Fiction book (1996) -
The dispatch rider quickly delivered the important message to the generals at the front lines.
-
During the war, a dispatch rider often risked his life to carry messages between military units.
-
The commanding officer sent a dispatch rider to ensure the orders reached the troops without delay.
Synonyms
258
2.4
A person who delivers letters or small packages to other people
94
3.8
A person who carries and delivers messages or packages
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly derivable from 'dispatch' (the act of sending) plus 'rider' (someone who rides): a rider sent to deliver dispatches, i.e. a messenger. This noun+noun compositional pattern is common and cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
The noun dispatch rider comes from two simple words: dispatch, meaning 'send quickly', and rider, a person on a horse or motorcycle who moves fast. The image of someone riding quickly to carry urgent orders explains why it means 'a military messenger who carries official messages, especially by motorcycle'.