being of questionable authenticity We're reminded of the story, possibly apocryphal, that they used to play the Beach Boys' Smiley Smile in psychiatric wards to calm patients. — The Guardian [..]

1580s, "of doubtful authenticity," from Apocrypha + -al (1). Middle English had apocrive (late 14c.) in same sense.

(revision in progress) Apologue:

Well-known but probably not true. Of doubtful authenticity.

"). Some Protestant Bibles include the Apocrypha in a separate section between the OT and NT; some Orthodox Bibles have even more books, which are not considered canonical by Catholics (1 &am [..]

A work whose authenticity or authorship is in doubt.

(adj) being of questionable authenticity(adj) of or belonging to the Apocrypha

undocumented material whose veracity is in doubt

1. Pertaining to the Apocrypha. 2. Not canonical. Hence: Of doubtful authority; equivocal; mythic; fictitious; spurious; false. "The passages . . . Are, however, in part from apocryphal or fictitious works." (Sir G. C. Lewis) (01 Mar 1998)

refering to books that are excluded from the New Testament in some versions of the Christian Bible because of their dubious authenticity

Of, or pertaining to, the . Of doubtful authenticity, or lacking authority; not regarded as canonical. ''Many scholars consider the stories of the monk Teilo to be apocryphal.'' Of dubious ver [..]

(Christianity) Of or relating to the Apocrypha.