apostle

C2 Topic:General Vocabulary

US /əˈpɑsl̩/ UK /əˈpɒs(ə)l/ See IPA manual

Freq #22930

Meanings

1

noun
One of the early leaders of a religious mission, especially the twelve chief followers of Jesus.

The apostles travelled across the region to spread their teachings.
2

noun
An enthusiastic early supporter or promoter of a cause or idea.

She became an apostle of clean energy long before it was popular.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

disciple

Word family

Forms apostles

Derived forms apostlebirdapostlehoodapostleshipapostlessapostolateapostolicapostolicityapostolizepseudoapostle

Related forms apostolado

Simplified etymology

Apostle comes from Old English apostol, borrowed through ecclesiastical Latin from Greek apostolos, meaning “messenger.”

Etymology

From Middle English apostle, from Old French apostle, from Late Latin apostolus, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (apóstolos, “one sent forth, apostle”). Merged with Old English apostol, borrowing from the same Latin source.

*stel- Proto-Indo-European apostle Middle English apostolus la-lat ἀπόστολος Ancient Greek apostol Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

General Vocabulary

External links

# apostle

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /əˈpɑsl̩/
**IPA (UK):** /əˈpɒs(ə)l/
**Frequency rank:** 22930

## Meanings
1. One of the early leaders of a religious mission, especially the twelve chief followers of Jesus.
2. An enthusiastic early supporter or promoter of a cause or idea.

## Examples
- The apostles travelled across the region to spread their teachings.
- She became an apostle of clean energy long before it was popular.

## Synonyms
- disciple

## Derived Forms
- apostlebird
- apostlehood
- apostleship
- apostless
- apostolate
- apostolic
- apostolicity
- apostolize
- pseudoapostle

## Related Forms
- apostolado

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *stel-
- Root: apostle
- Root: apostolus
- Root: ἀπόστολος
- Root: apostol

## Etymology
From Middle English apostle, from Old French apostle, from Late Latin apostolus, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (apóstolos, “one sent forth, apostle”). Merged with Old English apostol, borrowing from the same Latin source.

## AI Etymology
Apostle is from Middle English apostle, from Old French apostle, from Late Latin apostolus, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (apóstolos, “one sent forth, apostle”). Merged with Old English apostol, borrowing from the same Latin source. Important recorded forms include *stel- (Proto-Indo-European), apostle (Middle English), apostolus (la-lat), ἀπόστολος (Ancient Greek), and apostol (Old English). Current senses include one of the early leaders of a religious mission, especially the twelve chief followers of Jesus and an enthusiastic early supporter or promoter of a cause or idea. The wider family includes derived forms such as apostlebird, apostlehood, apostleship, apostless, and apostolate and related words such as apostolado.

## Topics
- General Vocabulary

markdown