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epistle - 6 dictionary results
e⋅pis⋅tle
[i-pis-uh
l]
–noun
| 1. | a letter, esp. a formal or didactic one; written communication. |
| 2. | (usually initial capital letter ) one of the apostolic letters in the New Testament. |
| 3. | (often initial capital letter ) an extract, usually from one of the Epistles of the New Testament, forming part of the Eucharistic service in certain churches. |
Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE epistol < L epistula, epistola < Gk epistol
message, letter, equiv. to epi- epi- + stol- (var. s. of stéllein to send) + -ē n. suffix
bef. 900; ME; OE epistol < L epistula, epistola < Gk epistol
message, letter, equiv. to epi- epi- + stol- (var. s. of stéllein to send) + -ē n. suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To epistle
e·pis·tle (ĭ-pĭs'əl) n.
[Middle English epistel, from Old French epistle, from Latin epistola, from Greek epistolē, from epistellein, to send a message to : epi-, epi- + stellein, to send; see stel- in Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Epistle
E*pis"tle\, n. [OE. epistle, epistel, AS. epistol, pistol, L. epistola, fr. Gr. ? anything sent by a messenger, message, letter, fr. ? to send to, tell by letter or message; 'epi` upon, to + ? to dispatch, send; cf. OF. epistle, epistre, F. ['e]p[^i]tre. See Stall.]1. A writing directed or sent to a person or persons; a written communication; a letter; -- applied usually to formal, didactic, or elegant letters. A madman's epistles are no gospels. --Shak. 2. (Eccl.) One of the letters in the New Testament which were addressed to their Christian brethren by Apostles. Epistle side, the right side of an altar or church to a person looking from the nave toward the chancel. One sees the pulpit on the epistle side. --R. Browning.Epistle
E*pis"tle\, v. t. To write; to communicate in a letter or by writing. [Obs.] --Milton.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : epistle
Spanish:
epístola,
German:
die Epistel,
Japanese:
使徒書簡
epistle
O.E., from O.Fr. epistle, from L. epistola "letter," from Gk. epistole "message, letter," from epistellein "send to," from epi- "to" + stellein "send." Also acquired in O.E. directly from L. as pistle. Specific sense of "letter from an apostle forming part of canonical scripture" is c.1200.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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epistle
a composition in prose or poetry written in the form of a letter to a particular person or group
Learn more about epistle with a free trial on Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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