epistle

Meaning

Noun

1. A literary composition in the form of a letter or series of letters, especially one in verse.
2. (humorous, literary) A letter, especially one which is formal or issued publicly.
3. (historical, humorous, literary, specifically) A letter, especially one which is formal or issued publicly.
4. One of the books of the New Testament which was originally a letter issued by an apostle to an individual or a community.
5. An extract from a New Testament epistle (sense 3.1) or book other than a gospel which is read during a church service, chiefly the Eucharist.

Verb

1. (humorous, literary, transitive) To write (something) in, or in the form of, a letter.
2. (archaic, humorous, literary, transitive) To write a letter to (someone).
3. (rare, transitive) To write (something) as an introduction or preface to a literary work; also, to provide (a literary work) with an introduction or preface.
4. (humorous, intransitive, literary) To write a letter.
5. (humorous, intransitive, literary) To communicate with someone through a letter.

Synonyms

letter

missive

note

message

script

writing

document

favour

handwriting

introit

line

notice

papers

summons

warrant

encyclic

Epistle

ola

breve

epistula

brief

character

correspondence

despatch

dispatch

Translations

épître

epístola

epistola

epistola

επιστολή

brief

epístola

carta

epistel

zendbrief

epístola

épitre

lettre

epistula

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɪˈpɪsl̩/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: epistel

Inherited from Old English: epistol

Cognate with French: épître

In summary

PIE word
*h₁epi
The noun is derived from Middle English epistel, epistole, pistel (“letter; literary work in letter form; written legend or story; spoken communication; (Christianity) one of the letters by an apostle in the New Testament; extract from such a letter read as part of the Mass”) [and other forms], and then partly:
* from Old English epistol, epistola, pistol (“letter, epistle”), from Latin epistola (“letter, epistle; literary work in letter form”) (whence Late Latin epistola (“one of the letters by an apostle in the New Testament”)), from Ancient Greek ἐπῐστολή (epĭstolḗ, “letter; message”), from ἐπῐστέλλω (epĭstéllō, “to inform by, or to send, a letter or message”) (from ἐπῐ- (epĭ-, prefix meaning ‘on, upon’) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi (“at; near; on”)) + στέλλω (stéllō, “to dispatch, send”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *stel- (“to locate; to place, put”))) + -η (-ē, suffix forming action nouns); and
* from Anglo-Norman epistle, and Middle French epistle, epistele, epistole (“letter; (Christianity) one of the letters by an apostle in the New Testament; extract from such a letter read as part of the Mass”) (modern French épître), from Latin epistola (see above).
The verb is derived from the noun.