Faith & RitualGreek → English
Epistle
/ɪˈpɪsəl/noun
A letter, particularly one of the letters of the New Testament read aloud in church.
The Greek roots
ἐπί
epí
to, upon
στέλλειν
stéllein
to send, dispatch
Literally: “something sent to someone”
The story of the word
In classical Greek ἐπιστολή is any dispatch, from a general's orders to a note about a delayed shipment. The narrowing to scripture happened in Latin, and Old English already had epistol before the French form pushed it aside. The same στέλλειν gives apostle, the one sent out, and diastole, the drawing apart.
- How it travelled
- Ancient Greek → Latin → Old French → English
- First recorded
- 13th century
Same family
apostlediastolesystoleperistalsis
In a sentence
The epistle that morning was the short one to Philemon.