disciple

[dih-sahy-puh l] /dɪˈsaɪ pəl/
noun
1.
Religion.
  1. one of the 12 personal followers of Christ.
  2. one of the 70 followers sent forth by Christ. Luke 10:1.
  3. any other professed follower of Christ in His lifetime.
2.
any follower of Christ.
3.
(initial capital letter) a member of the Disciples of Christ.
4.
a person who is a pupil or an adherent of the doctrines of another; follower:
a disciple of Freud.
verb (used with object), discipled, discipling.
5.
Archaic. to convert into a disciple.
6.
Obsolete. to teach; train.
Origin
before 900; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin discipulus, equivalent to dis- dis-1 + -cip(ere), combining form of capere to take + -ulus -ule; replacing Middle English deciple < Anglo-French de(s)ciple; replacing Old English discipul < Latin, as above
Related forms
disciplelike, adjective
discipleship, noun
Synonyms
4. See pupil1 .
Examples from the web for disciples
  • The songs have been handed down from parents to their children or from gurus to their disciples.
  • He has collected hundreds of songs, some of which were gleaned from the legacies of traveling harpers and their disciples.
  • Then he began speaking in public again beginning by giving lectures to small groups of disciples.
  • By now he has attracted two generations of disciples.
  • Probably he thought that the picture of fetters and gyves in the minds of his disciples would better help the cause.
  • The students and disciples of that generation are well into their middle years, rumbling along on mental capital from long ago.
  • In his life-time he had a few disciples, but they soon vanished, almost without trace.
  • He and his first-generation disciples made some horrendous mistakes.
  • Many were desirous to live with him and become his disciples.
  • He cast himself at the feet of that holy abbot, conjuring him with many tears to receive him among his disciples.
British Dictionary definitions for disciples

disciple

/dɪˈsaɪpəl/
noun
1.
a follower of the doctrines of a teacher or a school of thought
2.
one of the personal followers of Christ (including his 12 apostles) during his earthly life
Derived Forms
discipleship, noun
discipular (dɪˈsɪpjʊlə) adjective
Word Origin
Old English discipul, from Latin discipulus pupil, from discere to learn
Word Origin and History for disciples

disciple

n.

Old English discipul (fem. discipula), Biblical borrowing from Latin discipulus "pupil, student, follower," said to be from discere "to learn" [OED, Watkins], from a reduplicated form of PIE root *dek- "to take, accept" (see decent).

But according to Barnhart and Klein, from a lost compound *discipere "to grasp intellectually, analyze thoroughly," from dis- "apart" (see dis-) + capere "to take, take hold of" (see capable). Cf. Latin capulus "handle" from capere. Sometimes glossed in Old English by þegn (see thane).

disciples in Culture

disciples definition


The followers of Jesus, who adhered to his teaching and transmitted it to others. The Twelve Apostles were the disciples closest to Jesus.

Note: In general, a disciple is an active follower of a leader or movement, religious or otherwise.
disciples in the Bible

a scholar, sometimes applied to the followers of John the Baptist (Matt. 9:14), and of the Pharisees (22:16), but principally to the followers of Christ. A disciple of Christ is one who (1) believes his doctrine, (2) rests on his sacrifice, (3) imbibes his spirit, and (4) imitates his example (Matt. 10:24; Luke 14:26, 27, 33; John 6:69).