Etymograph

English

apostolate

Apostolate comes from Latin apostolus ‘a notice sent to a higher tribunal or judge’, from Ancient Greek ἀποστέλλω ‘to send off, send away from’, 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, send away from’
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀπόστολος3apóstolos‘one who is sent’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEapostolus4‘a notice sent to a higher tribunal or judge’
  6. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEapostolātus5
  7. Englishtodayapostolate5

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, Latin apostolus
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Latin apostolatus
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English apostolate

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, Latin apostolusapostéllō‘to send off, send away from’
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEἀπόστολοςWiktionary, Latin apostolusapóstolos‘one who is sent’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEapostolusWiktionary, Latin apostolatus‘a notice sent to a higher tribunal or judge’
  6. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEapostolātusWiktionary, English apostolate
  7. EnglishtodayapostolateWiktionary, English apostolate

Equivalent to apostle + -ate

Proto-Indo-European *stel- ‘to set’

…

Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος ‘one sent forth, apostle’

Late Latin apostolus ‘a notice sent to a higher tribunal or judge’

Old French apostle

Middle English apostle

English apostle

Linked words

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

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

through Ancient Greek στέλλω ‘to send’

stole, 4 more

Today it means

noun The office, or responsibilities of an apostle.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “apostolate”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Ancient Greek στέλλω, Ancient Greek ἀποστέλλω, Latin apostolus, Latin apostolatus. 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- / apostolate

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