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 other day, The Athletic’s Duncan Alexander — an analytics apostle if ever there was one — got talking with a data denier in a pub. —Phil Hay, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024

Taken together, these apostles display impressive credentials. —Keren Landman, Vox, 10 Dec. 2024

An apostle of nonviolent protest who schooled activists to withstand brutal reactions from white authorities as the Civil Rights Movement gained traction. —Ryan Hogg, Fortune, 3 Dec. 2024

When an angel opened the prison doors to free them, the apostles, instead of fleeing, returned to the temple and continued to preach. —Jack Herrera, The New Yorker, 8 Aug. 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"