deacon

[ dee-kuhn ]

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.
3. (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.
3. to castrate (a pig or other animal).
4. to read aloud (a line of a psalm, hymn, etc.) before singing it.

deacon

/ ˈdiːkən /

noun

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

Derived Forms

• ˈdeaconˌship, noun

Other Words From

• deacon·ship noun
• under·deacon noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of deacon¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of deacon¹

Old English, ultimately from Greek diakonos servant

Example Sentences

She also served in the Peace Corps in 1971, serving in Swaziland, worked for San Francisco’s Visiting Nurses Association, and became a deacon in San Francisco’s All Saints’ Episcopal Church.

From Washington Blade

When Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos sacked the great announcer Jon Miller — a deacon in the Church of Scully — in 1996, he said it was because he wanted “more of an advocate” for the home team.

From Washington Post

A church deacon who drove locals to and from the grocery store.

From Time

Much will depend on which version of any of those teams — especially North Carolina — shows up to face the Deacons.

From Washington Post

By James McBride“Sportcoat” is a 71-year-old deacon who lives in a Brooklyn housing project in 1969.

From Washington Post

The deacon said he is demanding an explanation from Williams.

From The Daily Beast

“His sermons were pretty much from his heart,” the deacon told us.

From The Daily Beast

According to the deacon, Williams made countless house calls and hospital visits whenever he could.

From The Daily Beast

Deacon Williams seemed to confirm this sentiment, saying, “as Christian people, we wanted him to get well.”

From The Daily Beast

Paul employed his wife, a deacon in their Bowling Green presbyterian church, for damage control.

From The Daily Beast

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

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

From Project Gutenberg

The deacon pounded on the porch with his nearly finished leg, and grew red in the face.

From Project Gutenberg

How d'ye stand on the proposition to have the town build a sidewalk up the hill apast the Congregational church, Deacon?

From Project Gutenberg