apostate
/əˈpɔs.teɪt/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 2.67 in modern English
10
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
One who has renounced a political party, a cause, etc.
Example Sentences
- "We must punish this apostate priest."
- "VVho can impair thee, mighty King, or bound / Thy Empire? eaſily the proud attempt / Of Spirits apoſtat and thir Counſels vaine / Thou haſt repeld, vvhile impiouſly they thought / Thee to diminiſh, and from thee vvithdravv / The number of thy vvorſhippers."
- "a wretched and apostate state"
- "An enormous number of monks and priests gave themselves up to sorcery, and there was no lack of apostate priests to perform the ceremonies of the Black Mass."
- "But the most politically damaging blow came from a late-breaking apostate: Mr. Clooney, who just weeks earlier had spent time with Mr. Biden and helped deliver $28 million to his campaign at a Los Angeles fund-raiser."
Etymology
From Late Latin apostata, from Ancient Greek ἀποστάτης (apostátēs, “rebel”), from ἀφίστημι (aphístēmi, “to withdraw, revolt”), from ἀπό (apó, “from”) + ἵστημι (hístēmi, “to stand”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /əˈpɔs.teɪt/
- British English: /əˈpɒs.teɪt/