apocrypha

Pronunciation

• IPA: /əˈpɒk.ɹə.fə/^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English apocripha (“not authentic”),^[2][3][4] from Medieval Latin apocrypha, from Late Latin apocrypha, short for apocrypha scrīpta (“hidden writings”),^[2][3][4][5] the neuter plural of apocryphus (“secret, not approved for public reading”),^[2][3][4][6] from Ancient Greek ἀπόκρυφος (apókruphos, “hidden, obscure”),^[2][3][4][6] from ἀποκρύπτειν (apokrúptein, “to hide away”), from ἀπό (apó, “away”) and κρύπτειν (krúptein, “to hide”) (see crypt).^[2][3][4][6] About 1445 it replaced the earlier form apocrif, from Old French apocrife.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

As an adjective, “of unknown authorship, not authentic, uncanonical” (1387 in the OED; before 1387 in Barnhart; late 14th century in Etymonline).^[7][3][4][8]

Semantic evolution

The word was used of scriptural writings “hidden” from the general public because they were not read in church.^[9][10] The Great Bible of 1539 explains that they were read not openly but “as it were in secrete and aparte”.^[11] From 1539 the Apocrypha named the books included in the Septuagint and the Vulgate but not in the Hebrew Bible,^[7][3][4] which were excluded from the Bible at the Reformation.^[11][12] The non-biblical sense, any writings or statements of doubtful authenticity, followed.^[4][7][6] apocryphal dates from the 16th century.^[8]

Timeline

• 1387 – adjective, not authentic.^[7][3]
• c. 1445 – replaces apocrif.^[3]
• 1539 – the uncanonical books of the Old Testament.^[7][3][10]
• 1625 – verb, to reckon as spurious (obsolete).^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The fourteen books of the Septuagint included in the Vulgate but not in the Hebrew Bible, considered uncanonical by Protestants; usually capitalized.
2. Early Christian writings proposed as additions to the New Testament but rejected by the major canons.
3. Writings or statements of doubtful authorship or authenticity.

Related words

• apocryphal
• crypt
• cryptic
• canon
• pseudepigrapha

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
6. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
8. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
9. ^ Merriam-Webster's Book of Word Histories, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
10. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
11. ^ a b Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray
12. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House