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epistle - 6 dictionary results

e⋅pis⋅tle

  [i-pis-uhl]
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–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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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e·pis·tle   (ĭ-pĭs'əl)   
n.  
  1. A letter, especially a formal one. See Synonyms at letter.
  2. A literary composition in the form of a letter.
  3. Epistle Bible
    1. One of the letters included as a book in the New Testament.
    2. An excerpt from one of these letters, read as part of a religious service.

[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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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
More Translations »

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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