From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Apostle \A*pos"tle\, n. [OE. apostle, apostel, postle, AS.
apostol, L. apostolus, fr. Gr. ? messenger, one sent forth or
away, fr. ? to send off or away; ? from + ? to send; akin to
G. stellen to set, E. stall: cf. F. ap[^o]tre, Of. apostre,
apostle, apostele, apostole.]
1. Literally: One sent forth; a messenger. Specifically: One
of the twelve disciples of Christ, specially chosen as his
companions and witnesses, and sent forth to preach the
gospel.
[1913 Webster]
He called unto him his disciples, and of them he
chose twelve, whom also he named apostles. --Luke
vi. 13.
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Note: The title of apostle is also applied to others, who,
though not of the number of the Twelve, yet were equal
with them in office and dignity; as, "Paul, called to
be an apostle of Jesus Christ." --1 Cor. i. 1. In
--Heb. iii. 1, the name is given to Christ himself, as
having been sent from heaven to publish the gospel. In
the primitive church, other ministers were called
apostles --(Rom. xvi. 7).
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2. The missionary who first plants the Christian faith in any
part of the world; also, one who initiates any great moral
reform, or first advocates any important belief; one who
has extraordinary success as a missionary or reformer; as,
Dionysius of Corinth is called the apostle of France, John
Eliot the apostle to the Indians, Theobald Mathew the
apostle of temperance.
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3. (Civ. & Admiralty Law) A brief letter dimissory sent by a
court appealed from to the superior court, stating the
case, etc.; a paper sent up on appeals in the admiralty
courts. --Wharton. Burrill.
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{Apostles' creed}, a creed of unknown origin, which was
formerly ascribed to the apostles. It certainly dates back
to the beginning of the sixth century, and some assert
that it can be found in the writings of Ambrose in the
fourth century.
{Apostle spoon} (Antiq.), a spoon of silver, with the handle
terminating in the figure of an apostle. One or more were
offered by sponsors at baptism as a present to the
godchild. --B. Jonson.
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From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
apostle
n 1: an ardent early supporter of a cause or reform; "an apostle
of revolution"
2: any important early teacher of Christianity or a Christian
missionary to a people [syn: {Apostle}, {Apostelic Father}]
3: (New Testament) one of the original 12 disciples chosen by
Christ to preach his gospel
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