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• epistle
  epistle

  noun

  a letter, especially a formal or didactic one; written communication.
• Epistle
  Epistle

  noun

  New Testament any of the apostolic letters of Saints Paul, Peter, James, Jude, or John

epistle

American  

[ih-pis-uhl] / ɪˈpɪs əl /

noun

1. a letter, especially a formal or didactic one; written communication.

2. (usually initial capital letter) one of the apostolic letters in the New Testament.

3. (often initial capital letter) an extract, usually from one of the Epistles of the New Testament, forming part of the Eucharistic service in certain churches.

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Epistle ¹ British  

/ ɪˈpɪsəl /

noun

1. New Testament any of the apostolic letters of Saints Paul, Peter, James, Jude, or John

2. a reading from one of the Epistles, forming part of the Eucharistic service in many Christian Churches

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epistle ² British  

/ ɪˈpɪsəl /

noun

1. a letter, esp one that is long, formal, or didactic

2. a literary work in letter form, esp a dedicatory verse letter of a type originated by Horace

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Etymology

Origin of epistle

before 900; Middle English; Old English epistol < Latin epistula, epistola < Greek epistolḗ message, letter, equivalent to epi- epi- + stol- (variant stem of stéllein to send) + -ē noun suffix

Explanation

An epistle is a long, formal letter. Several books of the Bible consist of epistles. If you're used to emails and text messages, you might be surprised by the idea of the epistle — a letter that is very long and also very formal. An epistle isn't something you dash off in a few minutes while waiting for the bus. Epistles take time and thought to write, almost like doing a research paper. The Bible is full of many epistles — that's where many people have seen this word.

Example Sentences

Mr. Sunak, Britain’s first Hindu prime minister, played his own role by reading the first chapter of the Epistle to the Colossians.

From New York Times • May 6, 2023

A reading from the Epistle to the Colossians.

From BBC • May 5, 2023

For example, having rewritten the Angel’s Epistle as a monologue, I’m wondering if there are lessons there.

From Slate • Oct. 8, 2020

Nevertheless, you’d call the 60s his heyday, the decade of Epistle to Dippy and The Hurdy Gurdy Man, often playing on his own, doors swinging open wherever he went.

From The Guardian • Apr. 9, 2020

Mami scolded them all and continued The Epistle.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez