• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Where does the word “gospel” come from and What does gospel mean?

Where does the word “gospel” come from and What does gospel mean?

March 9, 2020 by Karen Hill

A missionary to any heathen country must first learn the language of that country.

He then tries to deliver his message in that language, translating the words that are familiar to him into new words that will carry the same meaning.

Thus the Latin evangeliurn was turned into god spell, good tidings, when Roman missionaries came to England, for that was the literal translation.

These were two separate words, god and spell; but through carelessness or ignorance early writers began to join the words into god-spel or godspel, the literal meaning of which was thereby altered to “God story.”

In speech and eventually in writing, this became gospel, though the true meaning of the missionaries is still to be found in such titles as “The Gospel (Good Tidings) according to Saint Matthew.”

Related Facts

  • What does the word "gauntlet" mean and Where does the word gauntlet come from?
  • What does the word incubus (succubus) mean and Where does the word "incubus" come from?
  • Where does the word "Toilet" come from and What does the word Toilet mean in French?
  • What Does the Word Scapegoat Mean and Where Did the Word Scapegoat Come From?
  • What Does the Word "Clock" Mean in French and Where Did the Word For a Large Timepiece Come From?
  • Where Did the Word "Limbo" Come From and What Does the Word Mean?
  • Where Did the Word Dollar Come From and What Does the the Word Dollar Mean in German?
  • How Do You Pronounce the Word "Colonel", What Does it Mean, and Where Did the Word Come From?
  • What Does the Word "Gimmick" Mean and Where Did the Word Gimmick Come From?
  • What Does the Word "Monger" Mean and Where Did the Word Fishmonger Come From?
  • Why Does the Word "Moron" Mean "Stupid" and Where Did the Word Come From?
  • What does the word mugwump mean and Where does the word "mugwump" originate?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where does the word “glamour” come from and What does glamour mean?
Next Post: What does fiasco mean and Where does the word “fiasco” come from? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2021 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy