Etymograph

English

apostle

Apostle comes from Late Latin apostolus ‘a notice sent to a higher tribunal or judge’, from Ancient Greek ἀποστέλλω ‘to send off’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *stel- ‘to set’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stel-1‘to set’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEστέλλω2‘to send’
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀποστέλλω3apostéllō‘to send off’
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀπόστολος4apóstolos‘one sent forth, apostle’
  5. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEapostolus4‘a notice sent to a higher tribunal or judge’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400apostle4
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500apostle4
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1895–1897apostle4

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek στέλλω, which cites Beekes
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ἀποστέλλω
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος
  4. 4 Wiktionary, English apostle
  5. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1895–1897, Herbert George Wells, The Eve of the War: “[W]e must remember what ruthless and utter destruction our…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*stel-Wiktionary, Ancient Greek στέλλω, which cites Beekes‘to set’reconstructed
  2. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEστέλλωWiktionary, Ancient Greek ἀποστέλλω‘to send’
  3. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀποστέλλωWiktionary, Ancient Greek ἀπόστολοςapostéllō‘to send off’
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀπόστολοςWiktionary, English apostleapóstolos‘one sent forth, apostle’
  5. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEapostolusWiktionary, English apostle‘a notice sent to a higher tribunal or judge’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400apostleWiktionary, English apostle
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500apostleWiktionary, English apostle
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1895–1897apostleWiktionary, English apostle. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1895–1897, Herbert George Wells, The Eve of the War: “[W]e must remember what ruthless and utter destruction our…”

The story

Merged with Old English apostol, borrowing from the same Latin source.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *stel- ‘to set’

local, allow, location, install, locate, stall, lieu, stool, stalk, loco, locus, locator, stale, epistle, locative, stela, stele, stell, stolid, 31 more

through Ancient Greek στέλλω ‘to send’

stole, 4 more

Today it means

noun A missionary, or leader of a religious mission, especially one in the early Christian Church (but see Apostle).

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “apostle”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek στέλλω, Ancient Greek ἀποστέλλω, Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *stel- / apostle

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