Crossword Genius

One of the following? (8)

Ross

I think it could be either:

disciple

adherent

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'following' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'one of the' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'one' could be 'a' (a thing is one thing) and 'a' is found in the answer.
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is located in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for adherent that I've seen before include "lover" , "Devotee" , "supporter of party" , "Weep" , "Follower, partisan" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail and The Guardian.
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