Etymologically
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apocrypha

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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.
  • 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