disciple

[dih-sahy-puh l]

See more synonyms for disciple on Thesaurus.com

noun

Religion.
1. one of the 12 personal followers of Christ.
2. one of the 70 followers sent forth by Christ. Luke 10:1.
3. any other professed follower of Christ in His lifetime.
any follower of Christ.
(initial capital letter) a member of the Disciples of Christ.

a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of another; follower: a disciple of Freud.

verb (used with object), dis·ci·pled, dis·ci·pling.

Archaic. to convert into a disciple.
Obsolete. to teach; train.

Origin of disciple

before 900; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin discipulus, equivalent to dis- dis-¹ + -cip(ere), combining form of capere to take + -ulus -ule; replacing Middle English deciple < Anglo-French de(s)ciple; replacing Old English discipul < Latin, as above

Related formsdis·ci·ple·like, adjectivedis·ci·ple·ship, noun

Synonyms for disciple

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4. See pupil¹.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for disciples

enthusiast, devotee, adherent, fanatic, apostle, learner, cohort, zealot, pupil, buff, satellite, freak, nut, proselyte, partisan, convert, sectary, bug, votary, junkie

Examples from the Web for disciples

Contemporary Examples of disciples

Buddhist and Hindu literature is rich with stories of disciples finally learning to surrender in this way.
Is India’s Fallen ‘God-Man’ So Different From a Megachurch Pastor?
Jay Michaelson
November 21, 2014
On August 9, 1969, Manson sent four of his disciples to invade the home of film director Roman Polanski, who was away on a shoot.
Gay Talese on Charlie Manson’s Home on the Range
Gay Talese
October 31, 2014
To James, and to his disciples—of which there were many—Booker was not like them.
The Ugly Truth About Cory Booker, New Jersey’s Golden Boy
Olivia Nuzzi
October 20, 2014
Qutb himself did not make the Caliphate central to his thought, but his disciples saw it as the only antidote to jahiliyyah.
Why the Caliphate Will Devour Its Children
Philip Jenkins
July 11, 2014
In all likelihood, he was—like his disciples and contemporaries—dark-haired, dark-eyed, and olive-skinned.
Yes, Megyn Kelly, Santa Can Be Black (and Jesus, Too)
Jamelle Bouie
December 12, 2013

Historical Examples of disciples

The book of Christianity must be interpreted by the disciples of Christianity.
Understanding the Scriptures
Francis McConnell
Fie had collected twenty-four of us, whom he called his 'disciples,' and shamed am I to say, I was one.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper
The solicitude of the disciples on this occasion was highly laudable.
Female Scripture Biographies, Vol. II
Francis Augustus Cox
His successors and disciples have advanced so far as to be able to say when.
The Devil's Dictionary
Ambrose Bierce
The wild enthusiasm of his disciples had its effect on the teacher.
The Works of Whittier, Volume VI (of VII)
John Greenleaf Whittier

British Dictionary definitions for disciples

disciple

noun

a follower of the doctrines of a teacher or a school of thought
one of the personal followers of Christ (including his 12 apostles) during his earthly life

Derived Formsdiscipleship, noundiscipular (dɪˈsɪpjʊlə), adjective

Word Origin for disciple

Old English discipul, from Latin discipulus pupil, from discere to learn

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for disciples

disciple

Old English discipul (fem. discipula), Biblical borrowing from Latin discipulus "pupil, student, follower," said to be from discere "to learn" [OED, Watkins], from a reduplicated form of PIE root *dek- "to take, accept" (see decent).

But according to Barnhart and Klein, from a lost compound *discipere "to grasp intellectually, analyze thoroughly," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + capere "to take, take hold of" (see capable). Cf. Latin capulus "handle" from capere. Sometimes glossed in Old English by þegn (see thane).

disciples in Culture

disciples

The followers of Jesus, who adhered to his teaching and transmitted it to others. The Twelve Apostles were the disciples closest to Jesus.

Note

In general, a disciple is an active follower of a leader or movement, religious or otherwise.