disciple means A person who learns from another, especially one who then teaches others. It carries an Arena rating of 1500, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, disciple ranks #2,382 of 14,414 for Most Elegant Words, #3,901 of 14,297 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #6,087 of 14,340 for Most Vivid Words, #7,082 of 14,423 for Most Sublime Words.
disciple is pronounced /dɪˈsaɪ.pəl/.
Why “disciple” is a great word
One who submits to the formal tutelage of a master, adopting a doctrine with a commitment to its propagation. From Middle English disciple, discipul, from Old English discipul ('disciple, scholar'), from Latin discipulus ('pupil, learner'). Unlike a student, who may acquire knowledge dispassionately, or a follower, who may offer allegiance without deep indoctrination, a disciple is both a vessel and an emissary. It is the scribe copying sacred texts by lamplight, the acolyte memorizing every inflection of the guru's voice, the partisan distributing tracts in a hostile square—a life consumed by passing a borrowed flame, the pupil who becomes the flame.
Etymology
From Middle English disciple, discipul, from Old English discipul (“disciple, scholar”), from Latin discipulus (“pupil, learner”). Later influenced or superseded in Middle English by Old French deciple.
noun
- A person who learns from another, especially one who then teaches others.
- An active follower or adherent of someone, or some philosophy etc.“And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.”
- A wretched, miserable-looking man.
- Any of the followers of Jesus Christ.
- One of the twelve disciples of Jesus sent out as Apostles.
verb
- To convert (a person) into a disciple.
- To train, educate, teach.“fraile youth is oft to follie led, / Through false allurement of that pleasing baite, / That better were in vertues discipled […]”
- To train, educate, teach.; To routinely counsel (one's peer or junior) one-on-one in their discipleship of Christ, as a fellow affirmed disciple.“Most recently, messengers to the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting passed the resolution On Restoring Moral Clarity through God’s Design for Gender, Marriage, and the Family, which resolves among many beliefs that “we encourage churches to disciple their members in a biblical view of marriage, sexuality, parenting, and the sanctity of life.””
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