apostle
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
one of the twelve original followers of Jesus who were sent to teach his message.
any of the twelve primary disciples chosen by Jesus to preach the Gospel.
Simple“The Bible tells stories about the lives and travels of each apostle.”
In context“The iconography of the cathedral depicts each apostle with a specific symbol representing their individual martyrdom or mission.”
UsageOften capitalized as 'Apostle' when referring to the specific biblical group.
- 02 C1 Advanced
a person who strongly supports and spreads a new idea or movement.
a pioneer or early advocate who promotes a particular cause, belief, or social movement.
Simple“He was an early apostle of renewable energy long before it was popular.”
In context“As a dedicated apostle of free trade, the economist spent decades lobbying governments to reduce international tariffs.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
a high-ranking leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a high-level governing body in the LDS Church.
Simple“The apostle traveled to different countries to speak at church conferences.”
In context“The newly sustained apostle addressed the congregation regarding the administrative challenges facing the global church.”
- 04 C2 Proficiency
a formal letter or record sent from a lower court to a higher court for an appeal.
a dismissory letter or a summary record of a trial court sent to an appellate court.
Simple“The lawyer prepared the apostle to be sent to the appeals court.”
In context“The judge granted the request for an apostle, allowing the case to proceed to the higher jurisdiction for review.”
Teacher's tipThis legal sense is extremely rare in modern general English and is mostly found in historical legal texts.
From Middle English apostle, from Old French apostle, from Late Latin apostolus, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (apóstolos, “one sent forth, apostle”). Merged with Old English apostol, borrowing from the same Latin source.
See apostil.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.