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 of acolyte

• adherent
• follower
• disciple

Examples of acolyte in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Consequently, there was no hidden trove of economic liberty that Lynn’s acolytes could unlock with more determined regulation. —Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 26 May 2026

Or would the attendees be acolytes hungry for an influencer’s attention? —Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 26 May 2026

Next door, the Bob Dylan Center houses the massive archive of the Nobel-winning singer-songwriter, who was Guthrie’s biggest acolyte. —Jennifer Kester, Forbes.com, 25 May 2026

Among those acolytes is Lucien (Jérémy Gillet), a reedy, repressed young virgin who yearns to be part of the gay community but hasn’t the courage to come out to his domineering mother Christine (Elisabeth Wiener), who also just happens to be the country’s very right-wing health minister. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 23 May 2026

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

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Kids Definition

acolyte

noun

ac·​o·​lyte ˈak-ə-ˌlīt 

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