deacon
From WikiWord, the free dictionary
/ˈdiːkən/
English
Definitions
noun
- (Church history) A designated minister of charity in the early Church (see Acts 6:1-6).
- (Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism) A clergyman ranked directly below a priest, with duties of helping the priests and carrying out parish work.
- Free Churches: A lay leader of a congregation who assists the pastor.
- Anglicanism: An ordained clergyman usually serving a year prior to being ordained presbyter, though in some cases they remain a permanent deacon.
verb
- For a choir leader to lead a hymn by speaking one or two lines at a time, which are then sung by the choir.
- (animal husbandry) 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.
- To make sly alterations to the boundaries of (land); to adulterate or doctor (an article to be sold), etc.
Related words
Synonyms
protestant deaconpriestpopechancellorpractisingleaderleftclergymanclericchurchmanecclesiasticministerpreacherpastorparsonreverend