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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

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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

See Examples For:

epistle Epistle

This epistle is full of affection, respect and especially decency—that word George Orwell found best to describe the British people after he had returned from Burma and then watched his nation go to war.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026

The manuscript itself contains texts including the first complete epistle of Peter, the Book of Jonah, and an Easter homily.

From BBC ● Apr. 4, 2024

To ponder the question and practice decoding an extraterrestrial epistle, an artist-led team has created a mock message from the stars to test us Earthlings.

From Scientific American ● Aug. 3, 2023

Wohl imagines this section as an epistle to Bobby, describing what became of Edie.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2022

Dear Mrs. O’Brien, Inasmuch as you have not succumbed to the imminence of litigation in our previous epistle be advised that we are in consultation with our barrister above in Dublin.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

A reading from the Epistle to the Colossians.

From BBC ● May 5, 2023

And with Mr. Masekela, he helped found the Jazz Epistles, a sextet of young all-stars whose 1960 LP, “Jazz Epistle: Verse 1,” signaled a turning point in modern South African jazz.

From New York Times ● Jan. 28, 2021

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

From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2020

How the Epistle to the Romans says that suffering is the mother of hope.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 12, 2019

A few months later, Sarah published An Epistle to the Clergy of the Southern States.

From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling

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