entry
apocrypha
/ʌˈpɑːkrəfə/Biblical writings outside the accepted scriptural canon
From Greek apo (from) + Greek kryptein (to hide).
from Late Latin apocrypha (scripta)
+1 more sourcefrom Late Latin apocrypha (scripta)
+1 more sourcefrom Late Latin apocrypha (scripta)
+1 more sourcefrom Late Latin apocrypha (scripta)
+1 more sourcefrom Late Latin apocrypha (scripta)
+1 more sourceWord Ancestry
from Late Latin apocrypha (scripta)
+1 more sourcefrom Late Latin apocrypha (scripta)
+1 more sourcefrom Late Latin apocrypha (scripta)
+1 more sourcefrom Late Latin apocrypha (scripta)
+1 more sourcefrom Late Latin apocrypha (scripta)
+1 more sourcePicture a manuscript being kept behind a curtain rather than read aloud in church: that is the original atmosphere of apocrypha. Greek apókruphos meant “hidden away,” built from apó, “off” or “away,” and krýptō, “to hide”—the same hiding idea that later gives English crypt, cryptic, and cryptography. In early Christian usage, “apocryphal” could mean privately preserved or unsuitable for public reading, not necessarily fraudulent. By 1590, English had apocryphal in the broader sense of doubtful authenticity; the collective noun apocrypha followed the grammatical shape of its Late Latin source, even though English speakers often handle it as singular. So when someone calls a story apocryphal, imagine not merely a lie, but a tale slipped into a locked drawer and waiting for someone to ask whether it ever belonged in the official book.
The Story
Picture a manuscript being kept behind a curtain rather than read aloud in church: that is the original atmosphere of apocrypha. Greek apókruphos meant “hidden away,” built from apó, “off” or “away,” and krýptō, “to hide”—the same hiding idea that later gives English crypt, cryptic, and cryptography. In early Christian usage, “apocryphal” could mean privately preserved or unsuitable for public reading, not necessarily fraudulent. By 1590, English had apocryphal in the broader sense of doubtful authenticity; the collective noun apocrypha followed the grammatical shape of its Late Latin source, even though English speakers often handle it as singular. So when someone calls a story apocryphal, imagine not merely a lie, but a tale slipped into a locked drawer and waiting for someone to ask whether it ever belonged in the official book.
Modern Usage
Something noncanonical or not part of an accepted continuity, especially in comic-book, television, and fandom discussions
Notable References
- Urban Dictionary examples use apocryphal for stories excluded from current Star Trek continuity
Kin & Kindred
From 'apo'·from, away, off
Derived Terms
English words from this root
From 'kryptein'·to hide, conceal
Derived Terms
English words from this root
Sources
Free Dictionary
Urban Dictionary
Wikipedia
Wiktionary