What does apage mean?
Apage is a rare literary exclamation meaning 'begone!' or 'away with it!', used to dismiss a person, idea, or thing with open contempt. Adopted into English from the ancient Greek phrase apage, meaning 'drive away,' it appears most often in older literature and in modern writing that deliberately reaches for an archaic or theatrical flourish. To utter 'apage!' is not merely to refuse something but to reject it scornfully, sweeping it aside as unworthy of further attention. The word belongs to a small family of English dismissive interjections, alongside 'avaunt' and 'begone,' all of which lend dramatic weight to rejection. Because it is so strongly marked as formal and antiquated, apage is best reserved for stylized prose, satire, or playful imitation of classical rhetoric; in everyday speech it would strike listeners as quaint or pretentious. Its enduring charm lies in its brevity and force — a single borrowed syllable that banishes nonsense with classical authority.
interjectionAn exclamation used to dismiss or reject something contemptuously, meaning 'begone!' or 'away with it!'. Borrowed directly from Greek, it expresses scornful rejection rather than polite refusal.
- Used as an exclamation of scornful dismissal or rejection: 'begone!', 'away with it!'
""Apage with such nonsense!" the professor declared, waving the manuscript aside."
"Apage such idle gossip! I will hear no more of it."
"The critic dismissed the fashionable new style with a single word: apage."
When you shout "apage!", you're speaking Greek that's over two thousand years old — literally telling your troubles to 'be driven away.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of apage
Apage comes directly from the ancient Greek apage, an imperative meaning 'drive away' or 'hence!', formed from apo ('away') combined with agein ('to drive, to lead'). It was adopted into English during the Renaissance period, when writers steeped in classical learning imported Greek and Latin exclamations for dramatic effect. The same Greek root agein underlies familiar English words such as demagogue, pedagogue, and synagogue, which preserve the sense of leading or driving. The word has remained a literary curiosity rather than entering common speech.
How apage is actually used
Highly literary and archaic in register; found chiefly in older English literature and learned or humorous writing. It carries a theatrical, contemptuous tone and would sound affected in ordinary conversation.
Easily confused with apage
Though similar in spelling, 'apogee' is a noun meaning the highest or farthest point of an orbit, whereas 'apage' is an exclamation commanding something to go away.