acolyte

noun

ac·​o·​lyte ˈa-kə-ˌlīt 

-kō-

plural acolytes

1

: a person who assists a member of the clergy in a liturgical service by performing minor duties

2

: follower:

a

: a person who attends or assists a leader

The mayor and some acolytes dined at their usual spot.

b

: disciple, pupil

… he studied acting with … an acolyte of the famed acting teacher …

—Evelyn Theiss

c

: fan, devotee

For acolytes of the craze, such high-brow bottles are worth the hefty price.

—BostonGlobe.com

… consistently sells out arenas … and inspires a generation of young acolytes …

—The Northland Age (New Zealand)

Did you know?

Follow the etymological path of acolyte back far enough and you'll arrive at kéleuthos, a Greek noun that means "path" and that is itself the parent of akólouthos, an adjective that means "following." Akólouthos traveled from Greek, leaving offspring in Medieval Latin and Anglo-French; its English descendant, acolyte, emerged in the 14th century. Originally, acolyte was exclusively a term for a person who assisted a priest at Mass, but by the 19th century, the word had acquired additional meanings, among them "attendant body, satellite" (a meaning used in astronomy) and "attendant insect" (a zoological sense), as well as the general meaning "assistant" or "sidekick."

Synonyms

• adherent
• convert
• disciple
• epigone
• follower
• liege man
• partisan
• partizan
• pupil
• votarist
• votary

Examples of acolyte in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Over the last 15 years, Trump and his acolytes have often used Chicago and the city’s gun violence as political punching bags, garnering support among law enforcement officers and voters in the city’s more conservative neighborhoods. —Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 12 May 2025

And his most famous acolyte has the president’s ear: Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. —Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2025

The claims by President Donald Trump and his acolytes in Congress that our nation’s gun violence crisis is caused by mental health issues, not the proliferation of guns, are belied by the recent U.S. Department of Education cuts for school mental health programs. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 6 May 2025

At her Hall of Fame induction two years ago, Crow was celebrated on both ends: by Stevie Nicks, her own hero and forebear, and Olivia Rodrigo, a 21st-century acolyte. —Chris Willman, Variety, 30 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English acolite, borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French acolit, borrowed from Medieval Latin acolūthus, acolythus, acolitus, going back to Late Latin, "person assisting the priest," borrowed from Middle Greek akólouthos, going back to Greek, "following, (as noun) follower, attendant," from a- (variant, before a following aspirate consonant, of ha- "having one, having the same," going back to Indo-European *sm̥-, akin to Greek heîs "one," homós "same") + -kolouthos (ablaut form, in a compound, of kéleuthos "path," of uncertain origin) — more at same entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for acolyte

• aconite
• allanite
• alunite
• amberlite
• ammonite
• amorite
• amphitrite
• analyte
• anchorite
• andesite
• anhydrite
• ankerite

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

acolyte

noun

ac·​o·​lyte ˈak-ə-ˌlīt 

: a person who assists a member of the clergy in a service