epistle: [14] Epistle has never really caught on in English as a general term for a ‘letter’ – too highfalutin – but in fact from a semantic point of view its origins are quite simple. It comes ultimately from Greek epistolé, which meant ‘something sent to someone’. This was a derivative of epistéllein, a compound verb formed from the prefix epí- ‘to’ and stellein ‘send’ (as in apostle, literally ‘someone sent out’).
English actually acquired the word for the first time during the Anglo-Saxon period, directly from Latin epistola, and it survived into the 16th century in the reduced form pistle. In the 14th century, however, it was reborrowed, via Old French, as epistle. => apostle
epistle (n.)
partly from Old English epistol and in part directly from Old French epistle, epistre (Modern French épitre), from Latin epistola "a letter," from Greek epistole "message, letter, command, commission," whether verbal or in writing, from epistellein "send to, send as a message or letter," from epi "to" (see epi-) + stellein in its secondary sense of "to dispatch, send" from PIE *stel-yo-, suffixed form of root *stel- "to put, stand," with derivatives referring to a standing object or place (see stall (n.1)). Also acquired in Old English directly from Latin as pistol. Specific sense of "letter from an apostle forming part of canonical scripture" is c. 1200.
双语例句
1. He longed to put a little affection into his epistle.
他渴望在信里流露出点爱慕之情.
来自辞典例句
2. A reference to " natural law " can be found in the Epistle of Paul to the Romans.
在圣保罗致罗马人的使徒书信中就已论及了 “ 自然法 ”.
来自辞典例句
3. The epistle deals therefore with the sovereign and universal principles.
这封书信讲到了至尊的,最大的原则.
来自互联网
4. I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord.
22我这代笔写信的德丢, 在主里面问你们安.
来自互联网
5. I, Tertius , who write this epistle, greet you in the Lord.