deacon

[ dee-kuhn ]
See synonyms for deacon on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. (in hierarchical churches) a member of the clerical order next below that of a priest.

  2. (in other churches) an appointed or elected officer having variously defined duties.

  1. (in Freemasonry) either of two officers in a masonic lodge.

verb (used with object)
  1. to pack (vegetables or fruit) with only the finest pieces or the most attractive sides visible.

  2. to falsify (something); doctor.

  1. to castrate (a pig or other animal).

  2. to read aloud (a line of a psalm, hymn, etc.) before singing it.

Origin of deacon

1
before 900; Middle English deken,Old English diacon<Late Latin diāconus<Greek diā́konos servant, minister, deacon, equivalent to diā-dia- + -konos service

Other words from deacon

  • dea·con·ship, noun
  • un·der·dea·con, noun

Words Nearby deacon

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use deacon in a sentence

  • At last deacon MacNab, the church treasurer and a personage of importance, got a chance to speak.

  • Of course there had been no organ in this church before, or the worthy deacon might have known more about it.

  • Then he returned to his province, entered the seminary, and became a sub-deacon of the diocese of Nueva Segovia.

    The Philippine Islands | John Foreman
  • The deacon pounded on the porch with his nearly finished leg, and grew red in the face.

    Scattergood Baines | Clarence Budington Kelland
  • How d'ye stand on the proposition to have the town build a sidewalk up the hill apast the Congregational church, deacon?

    Scattergood Baines | Clarence Budington Kelland

British Dictionary definitions for deacon

deacon

/ (ˈdiːkən) /


nounChristianity
  1. (in the Roman Catholic and other episcopal churches) an ordained minister ranking immediately below a priest

  2. (in Protestant churches) a lay official appointed or elected to assist the minister, esp in secular affairs

  1. Scot the president of an incorporated trade or body of craftsmen in a burgh

Origin of deacon

1
Old English, ultimately from Greek diakonos servant

Other words from deacon

  • Related adjective: diaconal

Derived forms of deacon

  • deaconship, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012