Godspellian

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to Godspell, the musical based on the Gospel of Matthew, or to its distinctive style and theatrical spirit
2. Describing something connected with the musical Godspell, which retells the Gospel stories through pop and vaudeville-inspired songs
3. Characterizing the style, staging or spirit associated with the rock musical Godspell and its gospel-based story

Etymology: The "god" in "godspellian" does not refer to a deity. In Old English, "godspel" was a compound of "god," meaning "good," and "spel," meaning "news" or "story," so it literally meant "good news." It was a translation of the Greek "euangelion," which is the source of "evangelist" and "evangelical." Only later did "god" come to be read as the divine name, which is why the word now sounds religious in a way its parts did not originally suggest. The suffix "-ian" marks a person connected with something, as in "Christian" or "Lutheran." Attaching it to "godspel" produces a term for someone who preaches or follows the gospel. The word is rare in general use, so its meaning rests mainly on its parts and the pattern of similar formations.