acolyte
Americannoun
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an altar attendant in public worship.
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Roman Catholic Church.
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a member of the highest-ranking of the four minor orders.
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the order itself.
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any attendant, assistant, or follower.
noun
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a follower or attendant
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Christianity an officer who attends or assists a priest
Etymology
Origin of acolyte
1275–1325; Middle English acolite < Medieval Latin acolytus < Greek akólouthos follower, attendant, equivalent to a- prefix denoting association + -kolouthos, variant of kéleuthos road, journey
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A mother superior in her 40s, she has found a young acolyte, Richardis, deeply devoted to her and who paints representations of Hildegard’s visions.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2025
The US leader said he had heard "great things about her" and hailed the fact that she was an acolyte of assassinated former premier Shinzo Abe, with whom Trump had close ties.
From Barron's • Oct. 26, 2025
Takaichi is an acolyte of the late Shinzo Abe, a former prime minister and Trump ally.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 21, 2025
The Hitler acolyte Joseph Goebbels once said that the big joke on democracy was that it provided its mortal enemies with the means of its own destruction.
From Salon • May 20, 2025
She looked up, saw the wafer and the acolyte holding a little silver tray under it.
From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
