The Collaborative International Dictionary
Epistle \E*pis"tle\, n. [OE. epistle, epistel, AS. epistol, pistol, L. epistola, fr. Gr. ? anything sent by a messenger, message, letter, fr. ? to send to, tell by letter or message; 'epi` upon, to + ? to dispatch, send; cf. OF. epistle, epistre, F. ['e]p[^i]tre. See Stall.]
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A writing directed or sent to a person or persons; a written communication; a letter; -- applied usually to formal, didactic, or elegant letters.
A madman's epistles are no gospels.
--Shak. -
(Eccl.) One of the letters in the New Testament which were addressed to their Christian brethren by Apostles.
Epistle side, the right side of an altar or church to a person looking from the nave toward the chancel.
One sees the pulpit on the epistle side.
--R. Browning.
Wiktionary
n. The right side of an altar or church to a person looking from the nave toward the chancel.
Wikipedia
In the liturgical traditions of Western Christianity, the Epistle side is the term used to designate the side of a church on which the Epistle is read during the Mass or Eucharist. Facing the altar, it is the right-hand side.
The Gospel side is the other side of the church, where the Gospel is read. Facing the altar, it is the left-hand side. In some places, especially if a comment is based on a romance language source, the Gospel side will be cited as the Evangelist side.
In the Tridentine Mass, which is still in use among some communities, the lectern holding the Missal was moved from the Epistle side of the altar to the Gospel side after the reading of the Epistle.
Usage examples of "epistle side".
On the epistle side now, the Introit, Kyrie, and Gloria concluded.
Immediately after the prayers at the foot of the altar -- Father Gusewski stood on the Epistle side and was busy with the Introit -- I sighted him in the second pew, before the altar of Our Lady.