apostasy

English

Etymology

From Latin apostasia, from Ancient Greek ἀποστασία (apostasía, “defection, revolt”), from ἀφίστημι (aphístēmi, “I withdraw, revolt”), from ἀπό (apó, “from”) + ἵστημι (hístēmi, “I stand”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /əˈpɒ.stə.si/
• (US) IPA^(key): /əˈpɔs.tə.si/

Noun

apostasy (countable and uncountable, plural apostasies)

1. The renunciation of a belief or set of beliefs.

   Synonyms: backsliding, conversion, deconversion

   • 1814 July 7, [Walter Scott], chapter II, in Waverley; […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh:  […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC:

     The apparition of Lawyer Clippurse at the Hall occasioned much speculation in that portion of the world to which Waverley-Honour formed the centre: but the more judicious politicians of this microcosm augured yet worse consequences to Richard Waverley from a movement which shortly followed his apostasy.

   • 1856–1870, James Anthony Froude, History of England from the Fall of Wolsey to the Death of Elizabeth, volumes (please specify |volume=I to XII), London: Longmans, Green, and Co., →OCLC, [https:// page 394]:

     The King of Navarre suddenly abandoned his party and went over to the Catholics. The explanation of his apostasy was as simple as it was base: Navarre had no confidence in the success of his cause, and he cared little in his heart for anything but women and vanity.

   • 1886, Henry James, The Princess Casamassima, London: Macmillan and Co.:

     What had he said, what had he done, after all, to give them the right to fasten on him the charge of apostasy? He had always been a free critic of everything, and it was natural that, on certain occasions, in the little parlour in Lisson Grove, he should have spoken in accordance with that freedom; but it was only with the Princess that he had permitted himself really to rail at the democracy and given the full measure of his scepticism.

2. Specifically, the renunciation of one's religion or faith.

   Synonyms: defection, disaffection, estrangement

Related terms

• apostate
• apostatic
• apostatical
• apostatically
• apostatise
• apostatize

 

Translations

renunciation of set of beliefs

• Arabic: رِدَّة f (ridda), اِرْتِدَاد m (irtidād)
• Azerbaijani: irtidad
• Belarusian: адсту́пніцтва n (adstúpnictva)
• Bulgarian: отстъ́пничество (bg) n (otstǎ́pničestvo), вероотстъ́пничество n (verootstǎ́pničestvo)
• Catalan: apostasia f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 變節／变节 (zh) (biànjié), 叛教 (zh) (pànjiào)

• Czech: odpadlictví n
• Dutch: afvalligheid (nl) f
• Finnish: luopuminen (fi), luopuminen uskosta, luopumus
• French: apostasie (fr) f
• Georgian: განდგომილობა (gandgomiloba)
• German: Abtrünnigkeit f
• Gothic: 𐌰𐍆𐍃𐍄𐌰𐍃𐍃 f (afstass)
• Greek: αποστασία (el) f (apostasía)

  Ancient: ἀποστασία f (apostasía)

• Hausa: ridda
• Hungarian: aposztázia (hu)
• Indonesian: murtad (id), kemurtadan (id)
• Irish: athchreideamh m, séanadh creidimh m
• Italian: apostasia (it) f
• Japanese: 背教 (ja) (はいきょう, haikyō), 背信 (ja) (はいしん, haishin)
• Korean: 배교(背教) (ko) (baegyo)
• Kyrgyz: иртидaд (irtidad)
• Latin: apostasia f
• Macedonian: отпадништво n (otpadništvo), отстапништво n (otstapništvo)
• Maori: apotatatanga, ngākau rere
• Persian: ارتداد (fa) (ertedâd)
• Polish: odstępstwo (pl) n, odszczepieństwo n, apostazja (pl) f, apostazja (pl) f
• Portuguese: apostasia (pt) f
• Romanian: apostazie (ro) f
• Russian: отступни́чество (ru) n (otstupníčestvo), отсту́пничество (ru) n (otstúpničestvo)
• Somali: ridda
• Spanish: apostasía (es) f
• Swedish: avfall (sv) n, apostasi (sv) c
• Tajik: иртидод (irtidod)
• Turkish: irtidad (tr)
• Turkmen: irtidad
• Ukrainian: відсту́пництво n (vidstúpnyctvo)
• Uzbek: irtidod

renunciation of one's religion or faith

• Belarusian: вераадсту́пніцтва n (vjeraadstúpnictva)
• Bulgarian: отстъ́пничество (bg) n (otstǎ́pničestvo), вероотстъ́пничество n (verootstǎ́pničestvo)
• Catalan: apostasia f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 叛教 (zh) (pànjiào), 背教 (zh) (bèijiào)

• Dutch: afvalligheid (nl)
• Gothic: 𐌰𐍆𐍃𐍄𐌰𐍃𐍃 f (afstass)
• Hungarian: aposztázia (hu)
• Irish: athchreideamh m, séanadh creidimh m
• Italian: apostasia (it) f
• Japanese: 背教 (ja) (はいきょう, haikyō)
• Korean: 배교(背教) (ko) (baegyo)
• Macedonian: отпадништво n (otpadništvo), отстапништво n (otstapništvo)
• Maori: ngākau rere
• Polish: apostazja (pl) f
• Portuguese: apostasia (pt) f
• Russian: вероотступни́чество (ru) n (verootstupníčestvo), отступни́чество (ru) n (otstupníčestvo), апоста́сия (ru) f (apostásija)
• Scottish Gaelic: àicheadh-chreidimh m
• Spanish: apostasía (es) f
• Swedish: avfall (sv) n, apostasi (sv) c
• Ukrainian: віровідсту́пництво n (virovidstúpnyctvo)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Esperanto: ^{(please verify)} apostateco

See also

• deconvert
• thoughtcrime

Further reading

• apostasy on Wikipedia.Wikipedia