Deacon

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: dea + con
• enPR: dÄ“'k(É™)n, IPA: /ˈdiːkÉ™n/
• Rhymes: -iːkÉ™n

Origin

From Old English diacon, from Ecclesiastical Latin diaconus, from Ancient Greek διάκονος (diākonos, "servant, minister").

Full definition of deacon

Noun

1. (Church history) A designated minister of charity in the early Church (see Acts 6:1-6).
2. (Roman Catholicism) A clergyman ranked directly below a priest, with duties of helping the priests and carrying out parish work.
3. (Protestantism) Free Churches: A lay leader of a congregation who assists the pastor.
4. (Protestantism) Anglicanism: An ordained clergyman usually serving a year prior to being ordained presbyter, though in some cases they remain a permanent deacon.
5. (Protestantism) Methodism: A separate office from that of minister, neither leading to the other; instead there is a permanent deaconate.
6. (freemasonry) A junior lodge officer.
7. (Mormonism) The lowest office in the Aaronic priesthood, generally held by 12 or 13 year old boys or recent converts.
8. (US, animal husbandry) A male calf of a dairy breed, so called because they are usually deaconed (see below).
9. (Scotland) The chairman of an incorporated company.

Derived terms

• archdeacon
• deaconal
• deaconate
• deaconess
• deaconize
• deaconry
• deacon-seat
• subdeacon

Verb

1. (Christianity, music) For a choir leader to lead a hymn by speaking one or two lines at a time, which are then sung by the choir.
2. (US, animal husbandry) To kill a calf shortly after birth.
3. (US) To place fresh fruit at the top of a barrel or other container, with spoiled or imperfect fruit hidden beneath.
• It's like buying a barrel of apples that's been deaconed — after you've found that the deeper you go the meaner and wormier the fruit, you forget all about the layer of big, rosy, wax-finished pippins that was on top.

Anagrams

• acnode
• canoed