apocrypha

See also: Apocrypha

English

Etymology

From Middle English apocrypha, apocrifa, apocrif, from Late Latin apocryphus (“secret, not approved for public reading”), from Ancient Greek ἀπόκρυφος (apókruphos, “hidden, obscure”, thus “(books) of unknown authorship”), from ἀπό (apó, “from”) + κρύπτω (krúptō, “I hide”). Properly plural (the singular would be apocryphon), but commonly treated as a collective singular. “Apocryphal” meaning “of doubtful authenticity” is first attested in English in 1590.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈpɒk.ɹə.fə/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

Noun

apocrypha (plural apocrypha)

1. Something, as a writing, that is of doubtful authorship or authority (formerly also used attributively).
   • a. 1704, John Locke, An Essay for the Understanding of St. Paul's Epistles:

     But it may be objected, that these books being in the Jews' canon , ought to be acknowledged for divinely inspired , rather than the apocryphas that never were in it

   • 1975, Jung Young Lee, The I Ching and Modern Man: Essays on Metaphysical Implications of Change‎^[1], Secaucus, NJ: University Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 24:

     Our entymological^{[sic – meaning etymological]} approaches to the I or Change in the I Ching seem to confirm one of the well known apocryphas, I-Wei Ch'ien tso-tu.

   • 1976, Bogomil Nonev, translated by Petko Drenkov, A Journey Through the Ages‎^[2], Sofia Press, →OCLC, →OL, page 41:

     Parts of the city were unearthed and we could clearly see an almost square citadel with massive walls and a deep moat, beyond which were the outer residential quarters, shopping centre, etc. This made me think of an apocrypha of the Bogomil teaching: 'I, the prophet Isaiah, blessed among the prophets by our Lord God Jesus Christ, have come by the Will of God to tell you what will happen in the last days of the human race...' He was talking of an uncertain future, while here before us we had a tale of realities of the past.

   • 1993, Lorna Goodison, “We Are the Women”, in Maura Healy, editor, Quartet of Poems‎^[3], Longman, →ISBN, →OCLC, →OL, page 92:

     We are the women
     with thread bags
     anchored deep in our bosoms
     containing blood agreements
     silver coins and cloves of garlic
     and an apocrypha
     of Nanny’s secrets.

   • 2020 June 8, Rory Smith, “The Shirts Were Red. The Fans Were All White.”, in New York Times‎^[4], archived from the original on June 8, 2020:

     The story of the Arsenal mural has drifted, over the years, into something more closely resembling a myth. What should be straightforward details are now shrouded in fog, tangled by apocrypha.

Related terms

• apocryphal

English terms prefixed with apo-

Translations

writing of a doubtful authorship

• Catalan: apòcrif (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 外典 (zh) (wàidiǎn), 旁經／旁经 (pángjīng), 偽經／伪经 (zh) (wěijīng)

• Finnish: apokryfi
• Georgian: აპოკრიფი (ka) (aṗoḳripi)
• German: Apokryphe (de) f
• Irish: apacrafa m pl
• Japanese: 外典 (ja) (がいてん, gaiten), アポクリファ (apokurifa)
• Kazakh: апокриф (apokrif)
• Polish: apokryf (pl) m
• Portuguese: apócrifo (pt) m
• Russian: апо́криф (ru) (apókrif)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: апо̀криф m

  Roman: apòkrif (sh) m

• Spanish: apócrifo (es)
• Swedish: apokryf (sv) c
• Ukrainian: апо́криф (uk) m (apókryf)

Further reading

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “apocrypha”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• “apocrypha, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “apocrypha”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• “apocrypha”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “apocrypha” in TheFreeDictionary.com, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.: Farlex, Inc., 2003–2024.

Latin

Adjective

apocrypha

1. inflection of apocryphus:
   1. nominative/vocative feminine singular
   2. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter plural

Adjective

apocryphā

1. ablative feminine singular of apocryphus

References

• apocrypha in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)