Synonyms

apostasy

[uh-pos-tuh-see] Origin

a·pos·ta·sy

[uh-pos-tuh-see]
noun, plural a·pos·ta·sies.
a total desertion of or departure from one's religion, principles, party, cause, etc.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English apostasye (< Anglo-French ) < Late Latin apostasia < Greek: a standing away, withdrawing, equivalent to apóstas(is) (apo- apo- + sta- stand + -sis -sis) + -ia -ia
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Apostasy is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
Collins
World English Dictionary
apostasy (əˈpɒstəsɪ)
 
n , pl -sies
abandonment of one's religious faith, party, a cause, etc
 
[C14: from Church Latin apostasia, from Greek apostasis desertion, from apostanai to stand apart from, desert]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

apostasy
late 14c., from L. apostasia, from later Gk. apostasia, from apostasis "revolt, defection," lit. "a standing off" (see apostate). General (non-religious) sense is attested from 1570s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

apostasy

the total rejection of Christianity by a baptized person who, having at one time professed the Christian faith, publicly rejects it. It is distinguished from heresy, which is limited to the rejection of one or more Christian doctrines by one who maintains an overall adherence to Jesus Christ.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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