apocryphal

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for August 15, 2011 is: apocryphal • \uh-PAH-kruh-ful\  • adjective : of doubtful authenticity Examples: Claims that a pack of hyenas had taken up residence near the campsite were believed to be apocryphal until their tracks were discovered last week. "The story, perhaps apocryphal but certainly reasonable, goes that he was never the same after injuring his right shoulder in the minors when an overzealous coach forced him to participate in an intense throwing drill without warming up." -- From a blog post by Chad Finn on Boston.com, July 7, 2011 Did you know? In Bible study, the term "Apocrypha" refers to sections of the Bible that are not sanctioned as belonging to certain official canons. In some Protestant versions these sections appear between the Old and New Testaments. More generally, the word refers to writings or statements whose purported origin is in doubt. Consequently, the adjective "apocryphal" describes things like legends and anecdotes that are purported to be true by way of repeated tellings but that have never been proven or verified and therefore most likely are not factual. Both "apocrypha" and "apocryphal" derive via Latin from the Greek verb "apokryptein," meaning "to hide away," from "kryptein" ("to hide"). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.