definitions

archdeacon

[ ahrch-dee-kuh n ]
/ ˈɑrtʃˈdi kən /
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noun

an ecclesiastic, ranking next below a bishop and having charge of the temporal and external administration of a diocese, with jurisdiction delegated from the bishop.
Roman Catholic Church. a title of honor conferred only on a member of a cathedral chapter.

RELATED WORDS

bishop, pastor, vicar, confessor, curate, preacher, abbot, rector, dean, divine, ecclesiastic, chaplain, prelate, lecturer, shepherd, cleric, clerk, missionary, monk, deacon

Nearby words

archbp, archbp., archconfraternity, archconservative, archd., archdeacon, archdeaconry, archdiocese, archducal, archduchess, archduchy

Origin of archdeacon

before 1000; Middle English archideken, Old English arcediacon < Late Latin archidiāconus < Greek archidiā́konos. See arch-1, deacon

Related forms

arch·dea·con·ate, arch·dea·con·ship, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for archdeacon

British Dictionary definitions for archdeacon

archdeacon

/ (ˈɑːtʃˈdiːkən) /

noun

an Anglican clergyman ranking just below a bishop and having supervisory duties under the bishop
a clergyman of similar rank in other Churches
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