messenger of death

English

Noun

messenger of death (plural messengers of death)

  1. (folklore) A figure or entity that presages death.
  2. (literary) An arrow, bomb, bullet, etc., that causes or is intended to cause death when fired.
    • 1913, Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Return of Tarzan, New York: Ballantine Books, published 1963, page messenger of death138:
      Tarzan had placed the finest marksmen of the tribe in the surrounding trees, with directions never to reveal themselves while the enemy was faced in their direction. As a black released his messenger of death he would slink behind the sheltering stem of the tree he had selected, nor would he again aim until a watchful eye told him that none was looking toward his tree.
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