deacon
English · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
deacon¹
- /ˈdiːkən/
Rhymes with -iːkən
Where it comes from
Inherited from Middle English deken, dekne, from Old English diacon, from Ecclesiastical Latin diāconus, from Ancient Greek διᾱ́κονος (diā́konos, “servant, minister”).
noun deacons
- A designated minister of charity in the early Church (see Acts 6:1-6).
- A clergyman ranked directly below a priest, with duties of helping the priests and carrying out parish work.
- An ordained clergyperson usually serving a year prior to being ordained presbyter, though in some cases they remain a permanent deacon.
- A lay leader of a congregation who assists the pastor.
- A separate office from that of minister, neither leading to the other; instead there is a permanent deaconate.
- A junior lodge officer.
- The lowest office in the Aaronic priesthood, generally held by 12 or 13 year old boys or recent converts.
- A male calf of a dairy breed, so called because they are usually deaconed (see below).
- The chairman of an incorporated company.
verb deacons · deaconing · deaconed
- To ordain to the diaconate. He was deaconed on the 23rd May, and priested on the 29th September, 1624, by John, Bishop of Sodar and Man.
- For a choir leader to lead a hymn by speaking one or two lines at a time, which are then sung by the choir.
- To kill a calf shortly after birth.
- To place fresh fruit at the top of a barrel or other container, with spoiled or imperfect fruit hidden beneath. The blanc mange was lumpy, and the strawberries not as ripe as they looked, having been skilfully 'deaconed'.
- To make sly alterations to the boundaries of (land); to adulterate or doctor (an article to be sold), etc.
Deacon²
Where it comes from
* English occupational surname for someone working in the household of a deacon.
* Also as an English surname, variant of Dicken.
* As an Irish surname, from Ó Deocáin, "descendant of Deocán."
proper noun Deacons · Deakin
- A surname originating as an occupation.
- A male given name from English. And like a mirror image in gestures if not in looks, Steward spit fresh Blue Boy while Deek lit a cigar. However disgusted both were, K.D. knew they would not negotiate a solution that would endanger him or the future of Morgan money. His grandfather had named his twins Deacon and Steward for a reas
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: protestant deacon, priest, pope, chancellor, practising, leader, left, clergyman, cleric, churchman, ecclesiastic, minister, preacher, pastor, parson, reverend
Translations
Every language
noun designated minister of charity in the early Church
| Español | diácono |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 보제 boje |
| 日本語 | 執事 shitsuji |
| 中文 | 執事牧師 /执事牧师 zhíshì mùshī, 執事 /执事 zhíshì |
| हिन्दी | सेवक sevak |
| Português | diácono |
| Français | diacre |
| Deutsch | Diakon |
| Italiano | diacono |
| Ελληνικά | διάκονος diákonos |
| Română | diacon |
| Русский | дья́кон dʹjákon, диа́кон diákon |
noun clergyman ranked directly below a priest
| Español | diácono |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 보제 boje |
| 日本語 | 輔祭 hosai, 執事 shitsuji |
| 中文 | 執事 /执事 zhíshì, 助祭 zhùjì, 輔祭 /辅祭 fǔjì |
| हिन्दी | उपयाजक upyājak |
| Kiswahili | shemasi, dikoni |
| Português | diácono |
| Français | diacre |
| Deutsch | Diakon |
| Italiano | diacono |
| Română | diacon |
| Русский | дья́кон dʹjákon, диа́кон diákon |
| Tiếng Việt | trợ tế |
| العربية | شَمَّاس šammās |
Talk about this word "deacon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/deacon. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. deacon. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/deacon "deacon." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/deacon.Cite this
@misc{deacon_2026,
title = {deacon},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/deacon},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
