acolyte

[ak-uh-lahyt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR acolyte ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an altar attendant in public worship.

Roman Catholic Church.

a member of the highest-ranking of the four minor orders.
the order itself.Compare exorcist(def 2), lector(def 2), ostiary(def 1).

any attendant, assistant, or follower.

RELATED WORDS

follower, aid, helper, assistant

Nearby words

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for acolyte

Still, the tradition of a hero with a younger, or everyman, acolyte stretches back to antiquity.
Holy Homophobia, Batman! A Queer Reading of the Dark Knight|Rich Goldstein|July 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One of these heroes is an insect-loving contemporary of Charles Darwin, the other a crocodile-wrestling Steve Irwin acolyte.
Exploring the Amazon, While We Still Can|Darrell Hartman|May 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Yee was, as Brown writes, a Brown acolyte at one point, representing a district of middle class single-family homeowners.
The Gun-Running Senator Leland Yee|David Freedlander|April 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Truthiness is as truthiness does, and clearly: Acolyte Oren does truthiness very, very well.
Michael Oren's Truthiness|Emily L. Hauser|March 6, 2013|DAILY BEAST

In the meantime, he serves as an acolyte at Grace Episcopal Church, and has had the honor of carrying the cross.
Message to Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan: America’s Greater Than Ever|Michael Daly|August 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The acolyte was very agile in a short red cassock, below which his naked legs, and bare feet showed.
White Shadows in the South Seas|Frederick O'Brien
There was the acolyte, very pale and sorrowful, beneath the trees.
Japanese Fairy Tales|Grace James
After sermon the preacher returns to the altar, when a fourth functionary appears, whom we suppose must be termed an acolyte.
The Church Index|William Pepperell
Pat Murphy, his faithful servant and acolyte, was watching for him just within the door.
The Higher Court|Mary Stewart Daggett
From the small door beside the chapel came a priest and his acolyte, a choir boy.
The Mercenary|W. J. Eccott

British Dictionary definitions for acolyte

acolyte

noun

a follower or attendant

Christianity an officer who attends or assists a priest

Word Origin for acolyte

C16: via Old French and Medieval Latin from Greek akolouthos a follower

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for acolyte

acolyte

early 14c., "inferior officer in the church," from Old French acolite or directly from Medieval Latin acolytus (Late Latin acoluthos), from Greek akolouthos "following, attending on," literally "having one way," from a- "together with," copulative prefix, + keleuthose "a way, road, path, track," from PIE *qeleu- (cf. Lithuanian kelias "way"). In late Old English as a Latin word.