altar boy

American  

noun

1. a male altar server.

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altar boy British  

noun

1. RC Church Church of England a boy serving as an acolyte

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Etymology

Origin of altar boy

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

Scorsese grew up in New York’s Little Italy as a Catholic altar boy and aspiring priest who was also fascinated by the mafiosos that loomed large in his community.

From The Wall Street Journal

The church where Pope Leo XIV attended mass as a child and served as an altar boy is now an empty shell.

From BBC

He was also an altar boy for seven years, although that was a lot more stressful.

From Los Angeles Times

From his childhood serving as an altar boy, he misses “the sense of community that formed on Sunday mornings, with the old lady you’d never see otherwise.”

From Seattle Times

From his childhood serving as an altar boy, he misses “the sense of community that formed on Sunday mornings.”

From Seattle Times