Webster's English Dictionary

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epistle

epis.tle \i-'pis-*l\ \-'pis-(*-)l*r\ n [ME, letter, Epistle, fr. OF, fr. L 
   epistula, epistola letter, fr.]Gk epistole- message, letter, fr. 
   epistellein to send to, fr. epi- + stellein to send cap  1a: one of the 
   letters of the New Testament  1b: a liturgical lection usu. from one of the 
   New Testament Epistles  2a: LETTER; esp : a formal or elegant letter  2b: a 
   composition in the form of a letter  - epis.tler n