Apostle

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /əˈpɑsl̩/

Definitions

1. A person sent on a religious mission, especially one of the original twelve followers chosen by Jesus to spread his teachings
2. A messenger designated to promote a specific faith or doctrine, often recognized for spreading teachings and influencing followers of a religious or philosophical movement
3. One of the original disciples specially chosen to spread Christianity ; a prominent advocate or pioneer supporting a particular cause or ideology

Etymology: The Greek "apostolos" meant "one sent forth," built from "apo-" (away, from) and "stellein" (to send, to set in order). In the Greek of the early Christian era it was a term for an envoy or a person dispatched on a mission, and that everyday sense is what made it useful to the New Testament writers, who applied it to the men Jesus sent out to preach. The word reached English by two routes at once. Old English already had "apostol," borrowed directly from Latin "apostolus," and Middle English later brought in "apostle" through Old French. The two forms were eventually merged into the single word we use now, so English carries a doublet of the same ancient term. Its meaning has widened well beyond the original twelve disciples. Any leader who carries a message to people, and especially a zealous advocate for a cause, can now be called an apostle, which is why the word sometimes describes champions of political or philosophical movements rather than religious ones.

Synonyms: disciple, follower, advocate, proponent, messenger

Antonyms: opponent, critic, adversary, enemy, detractor