Discepole

Discepole is the plural feminine form of discepola in Italian, used to refer to female disciples or followers. It appears mainly in religious, historical, and literary contexts, and in discussions of Italian grammar. The term derives from discepola, which itself comes from Latin discipula, the feminine form of discipulus (disciple). The masculine parallel is discepolo with plural discepoli; the feminine plural discepole agrees with feminine plural nouns or determiners.

In modern Italian, discepole is used when the group referred to is entirely female. For mixed groups, Italian ordinarily uses the masculine discepoli, unless the context explicitly emphasizes the female members. In religious writing, one might encounter phrases such as le discepole di Gesù to indicate female disciples of Jesus. The term is not tied to any specific organization or movement; it is a standard grammatical form.

Related terms include discepolo, discipula, and discipulus, along with the English word disciple. The distinction between discepolo and discepola, and their respective plurals, reflects gender and number agreement in Italian nouns and adjectives.