gospel

English Online Dictionary. What means gospel‎? What does gospel mean?

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɒspəl/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɑspəl/
• Hyphenation: gos‧pel

Etymology 1

From Middle English gospel, gospell, godspel, godspell, goddspell, from Old English godspell (“gospel”), corresponding to God +‎ spell (“talk, tale, story”), literally “the message of God”, believed to be an alteration of earlier *gōdspell (literally “good news”), used to translate ecclesiastical Latin bona annūntiātiō, itself a translation of Ecclesiastical Latin ēvangelium / Ancient Greek εὐαγγέλιον (euangélion, “evangel”, literally “good news”) (English evangel). Compare Old Saxon gōdspel and godspell (“gospel”), Old High German and Middle High German gotspel (“gospel”), Icelandic guðspjall (“gospel”), and the modern calque Malayalam സുവിശേഷം (suviśēṣaṁ).

Noun

gospel (countable and uncountable, plural gospels)

1. The first section of the Christian New Testament scripture, comprising the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, concerned with the birth, ministry, passion, and resurrection of Jesus.
2. An account of those aspects of Jesus' life, generally written during the first several centuries of the Common Era.
3. (Protestantism) The teaching of Divine grace as distinguished from the Law or Divine commandments.
4. A message expected to have positive reception or effect, one promoted as offering important (or even infallible) guiding principles.
5. (uncountable) That which is absolutely authoritative (definitive).

   took her words for gospel
6. (uncountable) Gospel music.

Synonyms

• evangel

Derived terms

Descendants

• → Japanese: ゴスペル (gosuperu)

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English gospellen, from Old English godspellian (“to preach the gospel, evangelise”), from the noun (see above).

Verb

gospel (third-person singular simple present gospels, present participle gospelling or (US) gospeling, simple past and past participle gospelled or (US) gospeled)

1. (transitive) To instruct in, declare, or communicate the gospel; to evangelise.

References

• “gospel”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “gospel”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Anagrams

• glopes, golpes

Finnish

Etymology

From English gospel.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡospel/, [ˈɡo̞s̠pe̞l]
• Rhymes: -ospel
• Hyphenation^(key): gos‧pel

Noun

gospel

1. (music) gospel

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

• “gospel”, in Kielitoimiston sanakirja [Dictionary of Contemporary Finnish]‎^[1] (in Finnish) (online dictionary, continuously updated), Kotimaisten kielten keskuksen verkkojulkaisuja 35, Helsinki: Kotimaisten kielten tutkimuskeskus (Institute for the Languages of Finland), 2004–, retrieved 2023-07-02

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English gospel.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡɔs.pɛl/

Noun

gospel m (plural gospels)

1. (music) gospel

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English gospel.

Noun

gospel m (invariable)

1. (music) gospel

Middle English

Alternative forms

• gospell
• godspel, godspell (mainly Early Middle English); goddspel, godespel, gotspel (Early Middle English, rare)
• cospel, gospeel, gospelle, gospille (Late Middle English)
• ꟑoddspell (Ormulum)

Etymology

Inherited from Old English godspell, *gōdspell, from gōd (“good”) +‎ spell (“news”), calquing Ecclesiastical Latin bona annūntiātiō, itself a translation of Ecclesiastical Latin ēvangelium / Ancient Greek εὐαγγέλιον (euangélion, “evangel”, literally “good news”); thus equivalent to God or good +‎ spel.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɔˌspɛl/, (Late Middle English) /ˈɡɔspəl/, (Early Middle English) /ˈɡɔdˌspɛl/

Noun

gospel (plural gospelles or gospels)

1. A gospel (one of four books recounting Jesus' life in the Christian biblical canon)
2. An excerpt or passage from a gospel, especially if read in a church service.
3. The instructions or beliefs contained in the New Testament.
4. Something authoritative or definitive.
5. (rare) Christian doctrine or belief in general.

Related terms

• gospellere

Descendants

• English: gospel (see there for further descendants)
• Scots: gospel

References

• “gospel, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from English gospel, from Middle English gospel, gospell, godspel, godspell, goddspell, from Old English godspell.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɔs.pɛl/
• Rhymes: -ɔspɛl
• Syllabification: gos‧pel

Noun

gospel m inan (indeclinable)

1. gospel music

Further reading

• gospel in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• gospel in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from English gospel.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: gos‧pel

Noun

gospel m (uncountable)

1. gospel music, gospel

Adjective

gospel (invariable)

1. Of or relating to gospel music.

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from English gospel.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡospel/ [ˈɡos.pel]
• Rhymes: -ospel
• Syllabification: gos‧pel

Noun

gospel m (uncountable)

1. (music) gospel music