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 family sang gospel music and were active in the Church of God in Christ, where K.C. was a deacon. —Rob Tannenbaum, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025

During that multi-decade stretch, Lorch held a bevy of leadership positions with the church, including as deacon, president of the board of trustees and head coach who picked his staff and directed his players. —Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 29 May 2025

The cardinals will enter the Sistine Chapel in reverse order of their hierarchical precedence, with deacons entering first, followed by priests and then bishops. —Nbc News, NBC news, 7 May 2025

But Prevost opposes ordaining women as deacons, for instance, so he's seen as conservative on church doctrine. —May 8, CBS News, 9 May 2025

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

Rhymes for deacon

• beacon
• weaken
• archdeacon
• mohican

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