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evangelist

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Etymology and origin of the English word evangelist

Confidence
Established
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
Old English, Vercelli Homilies
Borrowed from
Latin evangelista via Middle English
Ultimate origin
Ancient Greek εὐάγγελος

Pronunciation

  • /ɪˈvænd͡ʒəlɪst/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English evangeliste, also ewangeliste,[2][3] borrowed from Latin evangelista (“announcer of good news, preacher of the Gospel; author of a Gospel”),[4][2][3][5] in Middle English probably reinforced by evangeliste, Old French evangeliste.[4][2][3][6] Old English already had it, chiefly as euangelista, though less often than gospeller.[4] The Latin word is from Ancient Greek εὐαγγελιστής (euangelistḗs, “preacher of the gospel, bringer of good news”),[4][2][3][7] from εὐαγγελίζομαι (euangelízomai, “to bring good news”),[4][2][3] from εὐαγγέλιον (euangélion, “good news”) and εὐάγγελος (euángelos, “bringing good news”),[2][7] formed from εὐ- (eu-, “good, well”) and ἄγγελος (ángelos, “messenger”), the source of angel.[2][3][7] Ayto notes that gospel was originally a literal translation of the Greek euangélion.[7][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

The writer of one of the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke or John: in Old English, in the Vercelli Homilies.[4] Barnhart dates Middle English ewangeliste probably about 1200,[2] and Etymonline to the late 12th century.[3]

Semantic evolution

Ayto notes that the original English sense was "writer of a gospel".[7] The Wycliffite Bible of the 1380s added the senses "one who announces good news" and "a teacher in the early Church",[4][2] and a preacher who travels about spreading the gospel is recorded before 1425, in the Romaunt of the Rose.[4] A missionary who brought the gospel to a particular nation was the evangelist of it from 1575.[4] From before 1450 to the early 18th century an evangelist was also a copy of the Gospels, especially one used for swearing oaths.[4][5] Johnson (1755) gave "a writer of the history of our Lord" and "a promulgator of the Christian laws".[8] The extended sense, a zealous advocate of any cause, is recorded from 1704 in the OED,[4] though the Shorter Oxford dates it only to the late 20th century.[5] Collins also records the title of a senior official in the Mormon Church.[9]

Timeline

  • Old English – a writer of one of the Gospels, in the Vercelli Homilies.[4]
  • c. 1200 – Middle English ewangeliste.[2]
  • before 1382 – a person who announces good news.[4]
  • c. 1384 – a teacher or minister in the early Church.[4][2]
  • before 1425 – a travelling preacher of the gospel.[4]
  • before 1450 – a copy of the Gospels (now historical).[4]
  • 1575 – the missionary who brought the gospel to a nation.[4]
  • 1704 – a zealous advocate of a cause.[4]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (usually capitalized) Any of the writers of the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke or John.[9][6][4]
  2. A preacher of the Christian gospel, especially one who travels or holds revival meetings.[9][6][4]
  3. A missionary who converts a people to Christianity.[6][4]
  4. A zealous advocate of a cause: an evangelist for electric cars.[9][4][5]
  5. (Mormon Church) A senior official or patriarch.[9]
  6. (obsolete) A copy of the Gospels, especially one used for swearing oaths.[4][5]

Word family

  • evangelistic
  • televangelist

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c d e Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ a b c d e Ayto, John (2005), Word Origins: The Secret Histories of English Words from A to Z, 2nd ed., London: A & C Black
  8. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
  9. ^ a b c d e Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Evangelist.” Etymologically, 2 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/en/evangelist. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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