apostolic, a. and n.
(æpəˈstɒlɪk)
Also 5–7 -ique, 6–7 -ike, 7 -ick.
[a. Fr. apostolique, ad. L. apostolicus, a. Gr. ἀποστολικός, f. ἀπόστολος: see apostle and -ic.]
A. adj.
1. Of or belonging to the Apostles; contemporary with the Apostles, as the Apostolic Fathers.
| 1549 Nicene Creed in Bk. Com. Prayer, One Catholick and Apostolike Church. 1635 E. Pagitt Christianogr. i. ii. (1636) 62 St. Matthew, and other Apostolike men. 1664 H. More Myst. Iniq. xvi. 58 Idolatry is as contrary to the Apostolick Doctrine, as any thing can be. 1818 Byron Ch. Har. iv. cx, And apostolic statues climb To crush the imperial urn. 1847 J. Yeowell Anc. Brit. Ch. iii. 23 The British church was founded during the apostolic age. |
2. Of the nature or character of the Apostles; befitting or suited to an apostle.
| 1549 Coverdale Erasm. Paraphr. 1 Cor. xi. 7 Is it not an apostolique act to bring Corinthe..to Christes gospell? 1781 Cowper Hope 583 His apostolic charity. 1839 De Quincey Recoll. Lakes Wks. II. 183 Illimitable, apostolic devotion to the service of the poor. |
3. Of or pertaining to the pope as successor of St. Peter; papal.
| 1477 Caxton Dictes 145 Defendour and directour of the siege apostolique. 1591 Troub. Raigne K. John (1611) 42, I Pandulph of Padua, Legate from the Apostolike See. 1844 Lingard Anglo-Sax. Ch. (1858) II. xiv. 323 Made dependent on the Apostolic See alone. |
4. Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of the Apostles (sense 3 d).
| 1832 J. Spedding Let. 4 May in H. Tennyson Alfred Ld. Tennyson (1897) I. 85 Only think of an ‘Apostolic’ dinner next Friday. 1900 H. Sidgwick in A. & E. M. Sidgwick Henry Sidgwick (1906) ii. 35 It was rather a point of the apostolic mind to understand how much suggestion and instruction may be derived from what is in form a jest. 1906 R. Fry Let. 12 Apr. (1972) I. 261 He's [sc. Cresswell's] the most interesting mind here.., quite Cambridge mind, speculative and detached, in fact, almost Apostolic. 1979 L. Edel Bloomsbury i. 54 There were vivid memories of Apostolic weekends and walking tours. 1986 Nature 13 Feb. 548/2 Several roots of Whitehead's later philosophy are to be found in his Apostolic comradeship. |
B. n. A heretical sect. (See quot.)
| 1580 Fulke Retentive 314 (T.) The apostolicks in their vow of continence. 1645 E. Pagitt Heresiogr. (1661) 36 Apostolicks, a kind of Anabaptists, because they would be like the Apostle, they wandred up and down the Countreys, without staves, shooes, money, or bags. 1751 [See apostle 3]. |