Definition of DISCIPLES (original) (raw)
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
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
Synonyms
Choose the Right Synonym for disciple
an evangelist and his followers
adherent suggests a close and persistent attachment.
disciple implies a devoted allegiance to the teachings of one chosen as a master.
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.
Something so impossible happened that his disciples were completely changed and declared that this dead one was now alive again. —
Lynne Silva-Breen, Twin Cities, 7 Feb. 2025 Pep Guardiola will lock horns with his old disciple Enzo Maresca on Saturday night, a rematch which will be fought in very different circumstances to last summer’s season opener. —Oli Gamp, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025 Morita tried to take off his master’s head with a sword, but made a botch of it; another disciple had to finish the job. —Ian Buruma, The New Yorker, 6 Jan. 2025 Rent Regulation Still Has Its Cheerleaders Despite the negative impact of rent regulation on the housing supply in Argentina and New York City, the concept still has its disciples. —Shimon Shkury, Forbes, 25 Nov. 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
Cite this Entry
“Disciple.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disciple. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
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Last Updated: 11 Feb 2025 - Updated example sentences
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