'apostle-related' originates from English as a compound of 'apostle' and 'related'. 'apostle' ultimately comes from Greek 'apostolos', where 'apo-' meant 'away' and the root (from stēllō/stell-) meant 'to send'; 'related' comes from Latin 'relatus' (past participle of 'referre') via Old French/Middle English, meaning 'brought back' or 'referred'.

'apostle' passed into English via Latin 'apostolus' and Old French 'apostel', becoming Middle English 'apostel' and modern English 'apostle'. 'related' developed from Latin 'relatus' through Old French and Middle English into the modern participial/adjectival form 'related'. The compound 'apostle-related' is a modern English formation combining the two words.

Initially, 'apostle' meant 'one sent out' (a messenger); over time it became specialized to mean particularly one of the early Christian followers (the Twelve). 'related' originally came from a sense of 'brought back/referred' and evolved to mean 'connected' or 'having a relation to'. Combined, the compound now means 'connected to apostles'.