Alphadictionary.com

apocryphal

Printable Version
Pronunciation: ê-pah-krê-fêl Hear it!

Part of Speech: Adjective

Meaning: 1. Related to the Apocrypha, books of the Old Testament not accepted in the Jewish or Protestant versions of the Bible. 2. Probably untrue, but accepted widely as true; of questionable authenticity.

Notes: Today's adjective is based on the noun Apocrypha. This noun was originally a plural adjective in Greek, which lent it to Latin as a plural adjective (see Word History). English borrowed it from Latin as a plural noun, but it soon came to be treated as a singular one. Its adjective, apocryphal, comes with an adverb, apocryphally.

In Play: Posses in the Old West are generally portrayed in movies as lawless: "The posse caught up with Carver Mupp at a bar in the neighboring town, and strung him up on the way back to New Monia." However, not all posses today are hostile: "Rip Roren came in with a posse of hangers-on befitting a rock star of his caliber."

Word History: Today's word was the neuter plural of the late Latin adjective apocryphus, from the phrase apocrypha (scripta) "hidden (writings)", which Latin borrowed from Greek apokryphos "hidden, secret". Apocrypha was plural in both Greek and Latin. Apokryphos is an adjective from apokryptein "hide away", comprising apo "away" + kryptein "to hide". This same verb provided the Greek adjective kryptos "hidden", which English borrowed as crypt. (That the readers of this Good Word are grateful to Rob Towart for recommending it is not apocryphal.)

Dr. Goodword, alphaDictionary.com

P.S. - Register for the Daily Good Word E-Mail! - You can get our daily Good Word sent directly to you via e-mail in either HTML or Text format. Go to our Registration Page to sign up today!