apocrypha

American  

[uh-pok-ruh-fuh] / əˈpɒk rə fə /

noun

(often used with a singular verb)

1. (initial capital letter) a group of 14 books, not considered canonical, included in the Septuagint and the Vulgate as part of the Old Testament, but usually omitted from Protestant editions of the Bible.

2. various religious writings of uncertain origin regarded by some as inspired, but rejected by most authorities.

3. writings, statements, etc., of doubtful authorship or authenticity.

---

Apocrypha British  

/ əˈpɒkrɪfə /

noun

1. the 14 books included as an appendix to the Old Testament in the Septuagint and the Vulgate but not included in the Hebrew canon. They are not printed in Protestant versions of the Bible

2. RC Church another name for the Pseudepigrapha

---

Apocrypha Cultural  

1. Religious writings that have been accepted as books of the Bible (see also Bible) by some groups but not by others. The Roman Catholic Church, for example, includes seven books, such as Judith, I and II Maccabees, and Ecclesiasticus, in the Old Testament that Jews (see also Jews) and Protestants do not consider part of the Bible. Some churches may read the Apocrypha for inspiration but not to establish religious doctrine.

---

Discover More

By extension, an “apocryphal” story is one that is probably false but nevertheless has some value.

Etymology

Origin of apocrypha

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin < Greek, neuter plural of apókryphos hidden, unknown, spurious, equivalent to apokryph- (base of apokrýptein to hide away; apo-, crypt ) + -os adj. suffix

Example Sentences

This is “El Nino,” a retelling of the birth and early life of Jesus through a mix of biblical verses and modern Latin American poetry, medieval texts and apocrypha.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 18, 2024

As prologue to this thoughtfully reported book, British travel writer Shafik Meghji recounts a telling bit of apocrypha.

From Washington Post • May 19, 2022

It’s peopled by serious historical characters — apocrypha be damned — and draws its humor from their unlikely humanization.

From New York Times • May 9, 2022

Drier still, if spiked with apocrypha, is Noël Coward’s definition: “A perfect martini should be made by filling a glass with gin, then waving it in the general direction of Italy.”

From The New Yorker • Dec. 2, 2019

—The leaning of sophists towards the bypaths of apocrypha is a constant quantity, John Eglinton detected.

From Ulysses by Joyce, James