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

• priest
• preacher
• bishop
• clergyman
• pastor

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

In addition to his leadership and donations to Vanderbilt, Wills' other philanthropic ventures included serving as president of the YMCA of Metropolitan Nashville, president of the Tennessee Historical Society and a deacon and elder at The Downtown Presbyterian Church in Nashville. —Hadley Hitson, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025

The church may very well have served as a hiding place in the Underground Railroad, given that March Haynes, a deacon of the church, was a known member of the network. —Brienne Walsh, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025

Equality for women Like his predecessor, Leo opposes the idea of ordaining female deacons. —Rachel Treisman, NPR, 9 May 2025

But, also like Pope Francis, the Illinois native opposes ordaining women as deacons, for instance, so on that point he's seen as conservative on church doctrine. —Chris Livesay, CBS News, 7 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