epistle
[ ih-pis-uh l ]
/ ɪˈpɪs əl /
noun
a letter, especially a formal or didactic one; written communication.
(usually initial capital letter)
one of the apostolic letters in the New Testament.
(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 of epistle
before 900; Middle English; Old English
epistol < Latin
epistula, epistola < Greek
epistolḗ message, letter, equivalent to
epi-
epi- +
stol- (variant stem of
stéllein to send) +
-ē noun suffix
Words nearby epistle
Example sentences from the Web for epistle
British Dictionary definitions for epistle (1 of 2)
epistle
/ (ɪˈpɪsəl) /
noun
a letter, esp one that is long, formal, or didactic
a literary work in letter form, esp a dedicatory verse letter of a type originated by Horace
Word Origin for epistle
Old English
epistol, via Latin from Greek
epistolē, from
epistellein to send to, from
stellein to prepare, send
British Dictionary definitions for epistle (2 of 2)
Epistle
/ (ɪˈpɪsəl) /
noun
New Testament
any of the apostolic letters of Saints Paul, Peter, James, Jude, or John
a reading from one of the Epistles, forming part of the Eucharistic service in many Christian Churches