disciple

noun

dis·​ci·​ple di-ˈsī-pəl How to pronounce disciple (audio)
Synonyms of disciplenext
1
: one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another: such as
a
Christianity : one of the twelve in the inner circle of Christ's followers according to the Gospel accounts
b
: a convinced adherent of a school or individual
a disciple of Freud
2
capitalized Christianity : a member of the Disciples of Christ founded in the U.S. in 1809 that holds the Bible alone to be the rule of faith and practice, usually baptizes by immersion, and has a congregational (see congregational sense 3) polity
discipleship
di-ˈsī-pəl-ˌship How to pronounce disciple (audio)
noun

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for disciple

follower, adherent, disciple, partisan mean one who gives full loyalty and support to another.

follower may apply to people who attach themselves either to the person or beliefs of another.

an evangelist and his followers

adherent suggests a close and persistent attachment.

adherents to Marxism

disciple implies a devoted allegiance to the teachings of one chosen as a master.

disciples of Gandhi

partisan suggests a zealous often prejudiced attachment.

partisans of the President

Examples of disciple in a Sentence

a disciple of Sigmund Freud a circle of dedicated disciples who conscientiously wrote down everything the prophet said
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
New Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald is a disciple of both, having served as the defensive coordinator for John with the Ravens and Jim at Michigan. —Dan Pompei, The Athletic, 26 Aug. 2024 Photo: Upstate Down A Frank Lloyd Wright Disciple in Wappingers Falls, NY The house featured in this listing photo was designed by a disciple of Frank Lloyd Wright. —Clio Chang, Curbed, 8 Nov. 2024 In their telling, the fraud blamed on Dorje Chang was, in fact, pulled off by one of his corrupt former disciples. —Joseph Bien-Kahn, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2024 As a disciple of Pep Guardiola, Maresca wants his Chelsea team to play a brand of possession-orientated, modern soccer and that puts Sanchez in the firing line as the one who frequently has to start moves from the back. —Graham Ruthven, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for disciple 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, "follower of Jesus, one of the apostles, pupil," in part going back to Old English discipul, in part borrowed from Anglo-French disciple, both borrowed from Late Latin discipulus "follower of Christ, apostle" (translation of Greek mathētḗs), going back to Latin, "pupil, learner," of uncertain origin

Note: Traditionally explained as a derivative of discere "to learn," but the second element -pulus is neither a known word nor a suffix. According to an alternative explanation, the base is nominalized from an unattested verb *discipere, putatively, "to grasp, comprehend," from dis- dis- and capere "to take, seize" (cf. disceptāre "to dispute, debate," supposedly a frequentative from this verb); this is semantically questionable, however, and -ulus is any case not an agentive suffix.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of disciple was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near disciple

discinct

disciple

Disciples of Christ

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Disciple.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disciple. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

disciple

noun
dis·​ci·​ple dis-ˈī-pəl How to pronounce disciple (audio)
1
: a person who accepts and helps to spread the teachings of another
2
: apostle sense 1a
discipleship
-ˌship How to pronounce disciple (audio)
noun
Etymology

Middle English disciple "one who follows and spreads the teaching of another," from Old English discipul and early French disciple (both, same meaning), from Latin discipulus "follower of Jesus Christ in his lifetime," from earlier discipulus "pupil"

More from Merriam-Webster on disciple

Nglish: Translation of disciple for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of disciple for Arabic Speakers

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