Meanings
disciple1
plural disciples
- A person who learns from another, especially one who then teaches others.
- An active follower or adherent of someone, or some philosophy etc.
And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 9:101 more example
By some paradoxical evolution rancour and intolerance have been established in the vanguard of primitive Christianity. Mrs. Spoker, in common with many of the stricter disciples of righteousness, was as inclement in demeanour as she was cadaverous in aspect.
1921, Ben Travers, chapter 4, in A Cuckoo in the Nest, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Page & Company, published 1925, →OCLC - IrelandA wretched, miserable-looking man.
present singular third person disciples · participle present discipling · participle past discipled · past discipled
- transitivelifestyleTo convert (a person) into a disciple.
- transitivelifestyleTo train, educate, teach.
fraile youth is oft to follie led, / Through false allurement of that pleasing baite, / That better were in vertues discipled […]
1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC- transitivecertain denominationsChristianityTo routinely counsel (one's peer or junior) one-on-one in their discipleship of Christ, as a fellow affirmed disciple.
1 more example
Most recently, messengers to the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting passed the resolution On Restoring Moral Clarity through God’s Design for Gender, Marriage, and the Family, which resolves among many beliefs that “we encourage churches to disciple their members in a biblical view of marriage, sexuality, parenting, and the sanctity of life.”
2026 February 18, Diana Chandler, “Church of England abandons pursuit of spiritual blessings for same-sex couples”, in mbcpathway.com
Disciple2
plural Disciples
- Any of the followers of Jesus Christ.
- One of the twelve disciples of Jesus sent out as Apostles.
- abbreviationellipsisEllipsis of Disciple of Christ (“member of a particular religious group”).
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
disciple · noun, verb
- Latindiscipulus“pupil, learner”
- Old Englishdiscipul“disciple, scholar”
- Middle Englishdisciple
- Englishdisciple
From Middle English disciple, discipul, from Old English discipul (“disciple, scholar”), from Latin discipulus (“pupil, learner”). Later influenced or superseded in Middle English by Old French deciple.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans dissipel, dissipel
- dissipelperson who learns from another
- dissipelactive follower or adherent
Ancient Greek μαθητής
- μαθητής (mathētḗs)person who learns from another
Arabic حَوَارِيّ, تِلْمِيذ
- حَوَارِيّ (ḥawāriyy)one of the twelve disciples of Jesus
- تِلْمِيذ (tilmīḏ)one of the twelve disciples of Jesus
Basque dizipulu
- dizipuluactive follower or adherent
Bulgarian учени́к, после́довател
- учени́к (učeník)person who learns from another
- после́довател (poslédovatel)active follower or adherent
Catalan deixeble, deixeble
- deixebleperson who learns from another
- deixebleactive follower or adherent
Chinese Mandarin 弟子, 門徒 /门徒
- 弟子 (dìzǐ)person who learns from another
- 門徒 /门徒 (méntú)person who learns from another
- 門徒 /门徒 (méntú)active follower or adherent
- 追隨者 /追随者 (zhuīsuízhě)active follower or adherent
Czech následovník, žák
- následovníkperson who learns from another
- žákperson who learns from another
- stoupenecactive follower or adherent
- učedníkactive follower or adherent
Dutch discipel, leerling
- discipelperson who learns from another
- leerlingactive follower or adherent
- apostelone of the twelve disciples of Jesus
Esperanto disĉiplo
- disĉiploperson who learns from another
Finnish oppilas, seuraaja
- oppilasperson who learns from another
- seuraajaactive follower or adherent
- opetuslapsione of the twelve disciples of Jesus
French disciple, disciple
- discipleperson who learns from another
- discipleactive follower or adherent
German Jünger, Jüngerin
- Jüngerperson who learns from another
- Jüngerinperson who learns from another
- Jüngeractive follower or adherent
- Jüngerinactive follower or adherent
Hindi विद्यार्थी, विद्यार्थिनी
- विद्यार्थी (vidyārthī)person who learns from another
- विद्यार्थिनी (vidyārthinī)person who learns from another
- छात्र (chātra)person who learns from another
- छात्रा (chātrā)person who learns from another
- शिष्य (śiṣya)person who learns from another
- शिष्या (śiṣyā)person who learns from another
- अनुयायी (anuyāyī)active follower or adherent
Hungarian tanítvány, követő
- tanítványperson who learns from another
- követőactive follower or adherent
Icelandic lærisveinn
- lærisveinnone of the twelve disciples of Jesus
Indonesian murid
- muridperson who learns from another
Irish dalta, deisceabal
- daltaperson who learns from another
- deisceabalactive follower or adherent
Japanese 弟子, 門徒
- 弟子 (deshi)person who learns from another
- 門徒 (monto)person who learns from another
- 門徒 (monto)active follower or adherent
- 信奉者 (shinpōsha)active follower or adherent
- 弟子 (deshi)one of the twelve disciples of Jesus
Korean 제자, 문도
- 제자 (jeja)person who learns from another
- 문도 (mundo)person who learns from another
- 문도 (mundo)active follower or adherent
Latin discipulus, discens
- discipulusperson who learns from another
- discensperson who learns from another
- discipulusactive follower or adherent
Persian شاگرد, مرید
- شاگرد (šâgerd)person who learns from another
- مرید (morid)active follower or adherent
Polish uczeń, adept
- uczeńperson who learns from another
- adeptperson who learns from another
- uczennicaperson who learns from another
- adeptkaperson who learns from another
Portuguese discípulo, discípulo
- discípuloperson who learns from another
- discípuloactive follower or adherent
Russian учени́к, после́дователь
- учени́к (učeník)person who learns from another
- после́дователь (poslédovatelʹ)person who learns from another
- сторо́нник (storónnik)person who learns from another
- после́дователь (poslédovatelʹ)active follower or adherent
- сторо́нник (storónnik)active follower or adherent
- апо́стол (apóstol)active follower or adherent
Scottish Gaelic deisciobal, deisciobal
- deisciobalperson who learns from another
- deisciobalactive follower or adherent
Spanish discípulo, discípulo
- discípuloperson who learns from another
- discípuloactive follower or adherent
Swahili mwanafunzi
- mwanafunziactive follower or adherent
Swedish lärjunge
- lärjungeone of the twelve disciples of Jesus
Tagalog disipulo
- disipuloperson who learns from another
Thai สาวก
- สาวก (sǎa-wók)active follower or adherent
Ukrainian у́чень, учени́ця
- у́чень (účenʹ)active follower or adherent
- учени́ця (učenýcja)active follower or adherent
Welsh disgybl, disgybles
- disgyblperson who learns from another
- disgyblesperson who learns from another
Cite this entry
disciple. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disciple
“disciple.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disciple. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “disciple,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/disciple.
Source: disciple on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.