apocryph
|a-poc-ryph|
🇺🇸
/əˈpɑːkrɪf/
🇬🇧
/əˈpɒkrɪf/
hidden / doubtful authenticity
Etymology
'apocryph' originates from Greek, specifically the word 'apokryphos', where 'apo-' meant 'away' and 'kryph-' (from 'kryptein') meant 'to hide'.
'apokryphos' passed into Late Latin as 'apocryphus' and Medieval Latin 'apocriphus'/'apocrypha', entered Middle English in forms such as 'apocripha', and evolved into the modern English form 'apocryph' and the related adjective 'apocryphal'.
Initially it meant 'hidden' or 'secret'; over time it came to mean texts or accounts of 'doubtful authenticity' (i.e., works whose true origin or authority was hidden or uncertain).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a work or statement of doubtful authenticity or of unknown authorship; something spurious or fictitious.
The story about the lost manuscript proved to be an apocryph.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Noun 2
writings or reports (often religious) that are of doubtful authenticity and are excluded from the accepted canon (collectively, the Apocrypha).
Scholars debated whether certain apocryphs should be included in the edition.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 1
of doubtful authenticity; plausibly false or unverified (often applied to stories, reports, or sayings).
The anecdote circulating online is almost certainly apocryph.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/19 09:16