apocryphal
Word family adjectiveapocryphalnounapocryphaadverbapocryphally
a·poc·ry·phal /əˈpɒkrəfəl $ əˈpɑː-/ adjectiveadj apocryphal• It is difficult now to tell which tales are real and which apocryphal.• The bagel has a rich history, though its origin is somewhat apocryphal.• The story might or might not have been apocryphal.• The whole story may be apocryphal.• I am still not sure whether these stories were apocryphal or not, but the danger was clearly present.• In one apocryphal story that circulated on trading floors years ago, Black once tried to execute several trades using his model.• In another, slightly later apocryphal work, the Acts of Thomas, the issue is further clarified. Origin apocryphal (1500-1600) apocrypha “works not by the claimed writer” ((14-21 centuries)), from
Late Latin, from
apocryphus “secret, not part of the official list of works”, from
Greek, from
apokryptein “to hide away”, from
apo- (
→ APOCALYPSE) +
kryptein “to hide”