acolyte

[ ak-uh-lahyt ]

noun

1. an altar attendant in public worship.
2. Roman Catholic Church.
   1. a member of the highest-ranking of the four minor orders.
   2. the order itself. Compare exorcist ( def 2 ), lector ( def 2 ), ostiary ( def 1 ).
3. any attendant, assistant, or follower.

acolyte

/ ˈækəˌlaɪt /

noun

1. a follower or attendant
2. Christianity an officer who attends or assists a priest

Word History and Origins

Origin of acolyte¹

1275–1325; Middle English acolite < Medieval Latin acolytus < Greek akólouthos follower, attendant, equivalent to a- prefix denoting association + -kolouthos, variant of kéleuthos road, journey

Word History and Origins

Origin of acolyte¹

C16: via Old French and Medieval Latin from Greek akolouthos a follower

Example Sentences

The first was cybersecurity expert Christopher Krebs, who testified truthfully that the 2020 election was secure despite Trump and his mindless acolytes' conspiracy theories that the voting machines had been "rigged."

From Salon

To be fair, there have been no indications of any such trading by Trump or his acolytes.

From Los Angeles Times

He suggests Manson urged his acolytes to commit these severe crimes because of his paranoia.

From Los Angeles Times

One can parse the arguments made by Trump and his GOP acolytes to figure it out.

From Los Angeles Times

What matters is that Trump and Republicans show no embarrassment over having handed over both their power and responsibilities to a bunch of college-aged Musk acolytes who have no legal right to wield that power.

From Salon

Related Words

• follower