gospel
pronunciation
How to pronounce gospel in British English:
UK [ˈɡɒspl]
How to pronounce gospel in American English:
US [ˈɡɑːspl]
-
- Noun:
- an unquestionable truth
- a genre of a capella music originating with Black slaves in the United States and featuring call and response; influential on the development of other genres of popular music (especially soul)
- the written body of teachings of a religious group that are generally accepted by that group
- a doctrine that is believed to be of great importance
Word Origin
- gospel
- gospel: [OE] Etymologically, gospel is ‘good news’. It was coined in Old English as gōdspel, a compound of gōd ‘good’ and spel ‘discourse, tidings, news’ (the same word as the modern English magic spell), which was a direct translation of Latin bona annuntiatio. This in turn was a literal interpretation or gloss of ecclesiastical Latin evangelium (whence English evangelist) and its source, Greek euaggélion, which originally meant ‘reward for bringing good news’, but in its later sense ‘good news’ tout court was applied to any of the four accounts of Christ’s life written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.=> good
- gospel (n.)
- Old English godspel "glad tidings announced by Jesus; one of the four gospels," literally "good spell," from god "good" (see good (adj.)) + spel "story, message" (see spell (n.1)). A translation of Latin bona adnuntiatio, itself a translation of Greek euangelion "reward for bringing good news" (see evangel). The first element of the Old English word originally had a long "o," but it shifted under mistaken association with God, as if "God-story" (i.e. the history of Christ). The mistake was very natural, as the resulting sense was much more obviously appropriate than that of 'good tidings' for a word which was chiefly known as the name of a sacred book or of a portion of the liturgy. [OED] The word passed early from English to continental Germanic languages in forms that clearly indicate the first element had shifted to "God," such as Old Saxon godspell, Old High German gotspell, Old Norse goðspiall. Used of anything as true as the Gospel from mid-13c.; as "any doctrine maintained as of exclusive importance" from 1650s. As an adjective from 1640s. Gospel music is by 1955. Gospel-gossip was Addison's word ("Spectator," 1711) for "one who is always talking of sermons, texts, etc."
Example
- 1. Yale passed on purchasing the gospel because of such concerns .
- 2. The state preaches an extreme gospel of racial purity .
- 3. It 's become gospel , because of the danger of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder .
- 4. But he can count on california 's republican voters being less fussed about such imperfections , so long as he preaches the gospel of low taxes .
- 5. They all suffered greatly for the gospel .