apostle

noun

apos·​tle ə-ˈpä-səl 

1

: one sent on a mission: such as

a

: one of an authoritative New Testament group sent out to preach the gospel and made up especially of Christ's 12 original disciples and Paul

b

: the first prominent Christian missionary to a region or group

St. Boniface, the Apostle of Germany

2

a

: a person who initiates a great moral reform or who first advocates an important belief or system

b

: an ardent supporter : adherent

apostles of high technology

3

: the highest ecclesiastical official in some church organizations

4

: one of a Mormon administrative council of 12 men

apostleship

ə-ˈpä-səl-ˌship 

noun

Synonyms

• advocate
• advocator
• backer
• booster
• champion
• espouser
• exponent
• expounder
• friend
• gospeler
• gospeller
• herald
• hierophant
• high priest
• paladin
• promoter
• proponent
• protagonist
• supporter
• true believer
• tub-thumper
• white knight

Examples of apostle in a Sentence

a fervent apostle of universal health care

Recent Examples on the Web

The story goes that 13 guests attended the Last Supper—Jesus Christ and his 12 apostles—and the next day, Good Friday, was the day of Jesus’ crucifixion. —Rebecca Schneid, TIME, 13 Sep. 2024

The July 26 segment showed a scene resembling the famous painting of Jesus Christ and his apostles sharing a final meal, substituting a setting depicting drag queens presiding over a banquet. —Bruce Haring, Deadline, 4 Aug. 2024

Hundreds of pilgrims hugged, cried, and drank red wine from scallop shells on the granite steps of the soaring Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, a Romanesque complex that dates back to 1075 and is said to contain the remains of Saint James, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus. —Jessica Vincent, Travel + Leisure, 30 July 2024

The New York Times reported there were 17 drag queens, instead of 12 apostles, and they weren't grouped together in the same way as the painting. —Alex Haddon, The Courier-Journal, 29 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English apostel, apostle, postel, in part going back to Old English apostol, in part borrowed from Anglo-French apostle, apostoile, appostre, both borrowed from Late Latin apostolus "ambassador, Apostle (of the New Testament)," borrowed from Greek apóstolos "messenger, envoy, (Septuagint) messenger from God, (New Testament) Apostle," noun derivative of apostéllein "to send off or away, dispatch," from apo- apo- + stéllein "to set in order, equip, prepare for a journey, send," going back to Indo-European *stel- "put up, prepare," whence also Old Church Slavic posteljǫ, postĭlati "to spread out," Albanian shtiell "wind up, reel up, collect" (from *stel-n-) and perhaps Old Prussian stallīt "to stand," Armenian stełcanem, (aorist) stełci "prepare, create" (with -c- of uncertain origin)

Note: Along with Attic-Ionic stéllein, Greek forms in Lesbian dialect and forms attested by the grammarian Hesychius that appear to be Aeolic show a variant spel-/spol-. This has led to the conjecture of a distinct root *sk^wel- "set in order" alongside *stel- "send"; however, the evidence for *sk^wel- outside Greek is exiguous. Germanic *stal(l)jan- "to fix, set, place" (whence Old English stellan, Old Saxon stellian, Old High German stellen) could be an outcome of *stel-, though it is usually taken as denominal from *stalla- "stand, stall, stable" (see stall entry 1).

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

apostle

noun

apos·​tle ə-ˈpäs-əl 

1

a

: one of a group made up of Christ's twelve original disciples and Paul

b

: the first Christian missionary to a region

2

a

: the person who first puts forward an important belief or starts a great reform

b

: a loyal supporter : adherent

apostleship

-ˌship 

noun

Etymology

Middle English apostle "teacher sent out by Christ," derived from Greek apostolos "one sent on a mission"