disciple

[ dih-sahy-puh l ]

/ dɪˈsaɪ pəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR disciple ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Religion.

one of the 12 personal followers of Christ.
one of the 70 followers sent forth by Christ. Luke 10:1.
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.

Nearby words

dischronation, disci-, discifloral, disciform, disciform degeneration, disciple, disciples, disciples of christ, disciplinable, disciplinant, disciplinarian

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

SYNONYMS FOR disciple

4 See pupil¹.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR disciple ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

dis·ci·ple·like, adjectivedis·ci·ple·ship, noun

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

Examples from the Web for 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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST
The two brothers did so, and they became Christ's disciples.
When Were Our Gospels Written?|Charles Bradlaugh
He seems never to have attempted any proof with his disciples.
Theology and the Social Consciousness|Henry Churchill King
Already her army of disciples speak of her reverently as "Our Mother."
Christian Science|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
The rage of the disciples broke out immediately against Romuald.
The Mediaeval Mind (Volume I of II)|Henry Osborn Taylor
The Disciples began on the frontier and moved westward with it.
An American Religious Movement|Winfred Ernest Douglas

British Dictionary definitions for disciples

disciple

/ (dɪˈsaɪpəl) /

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 Forms

discipleship, 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

Culture definitions for disciples

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.