gospel

From Middle English gospel, gospell, godspel, godspell, goddspell, from Old English godspell (“gospel”), corresponding to good +‎ 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 godspel, godspell (“gospel”), Old High German gotspel (“gospel”), Icelandic guðspjall (“gospel”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɒspəl/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɑspəl/

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: gos‧pel

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.
   • 1917, Oral Hygiene, volume 7, section title:

     Spreading the gospel of dental hygiene in Vermont

5. (uncountable) That which is absolutely authoritative (definitive).

   took her words for gospel

   • 1881, George Saintsbury, Dryden

     If any one thinks this expression hyperbolical, I shall only ask him to read Edipus, instead of taking the traditional witticisms about Lee for gospel.

6. (uncountable) Gospel music.

• evangel

• → Japanese: ゴスペル (gosuperu)

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

1. (obsolete, transitive) To instruct in the gospel.
   • c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals):

     Are you so gospelled, to pray for this good man and for his issue, whose heavy hand hath bowed you to the grave and beggared yours forever?

• “gospel”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “gospel”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

• glopes, golpes

From English gospel.

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

gospel

1. (music) gospel

From English gospel.

• IPA^(key): /ɡɔs.pɛl/

• Audio

  (file)

gospel m (plural gospels)

1. (music) gospel

Borrowed from English gospel.

gospel m (invariable)

1. (music) gospel

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

• IPA^(key): /ˈɡɔs.pɛl/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔspɛl
• Syllabification: gos‧pel

gospel m inan (indeclinable)

1. gospel music

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

Unadapted borrowing from English gospel.

gospel m (uncountable)

1. (music) gospel music; gospel (a genre of African American religious music)

From English gospel.

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

gospel m (uncountable)

1. (music) gospel music