deacon

noun

dea·​con ˈdē-kən 

plural deacons

: a subordinate officer in a Christian church: such as

a

: a Roman Catholic, Anglican, or Eastern Orthodox cleric ranking next below a priest

b

: one of the laity elected by a church with congregational polity to serve in worship, in pastoral care, and on administrative committees

c

: a Mormon in the lowest grade of the Aaronic priesthood

Synonyms

• clergyperson
• cleric
• clerical
• clerk
• divine
• dominie
• ecclesiastic
• minister
• preacher
• priest
• reverend

Examples of deacon in a Sentence

my cousin was married by his uncle, who is also a deacon in his church

Recent Examples on the Web

The elder Robert Turner joined the Marines at 19 years old, became an electrician, had four kids, and in later years was a deacon at his church. —Ashley Milne-Tyte, NPR, 21 May 2024

The claim said the deacon drugged and raped Miller approximately 185 times from February 1996, when the deacon introduced him to heroin, to about October 1996, when at 17, he was arrested for the first time for stealing to support his addiction. —Alex Mann, Baltimore Sun, 16 May 2024

This past year, the new priests served as transitional deacons. —Bebe Hodges, The Enquirer, 19 May 2024

Video of that would-be shooting showed the moment the man's gun jammed as the deacon dove over a pew and tackled him. —Omar Villafranca, CBS News, 13 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English dekene, from Old English dēacon, from Late Latin diaconus, from Greek diakonos, literally, servant, from dia- + -konos (akin to enkonein to be active); perhaps akin to Latin conari to attempt

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing deacon

• deacon's bench

Kids Definition

deacon

noun

dea·​con ˈdē-kən 

1

: a member of the Christian clergy next below a priest

2

: a church member in various Christian churches who has special duties