archdeacon
Americannoun
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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.
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Roman Catholic Church. a title of honor conferred only on a member of a cathedral chapter.
noun
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an Anglican clergyman ranking just below a bishop and having supervisory duties under the bishop
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a clergyman of similar rank in other Churches
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of archdeacon
before 1000; Middle English archideken, Old English arcediacon < Late Latin archidiāconus < Greek archidiā́konos. See arch- 1, deacon
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.
The archdeacon was said to have replied: "We don't conduct witch hunts in the Sheffield diocese."
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
By the age of 24, Laval was ordained a priest; he was quickly named an archdeacon and eventually a bishop.
From Salon ● Feb. 25, 2023
“In a situation like this, you feel you’re powerless,” said Abiade Lozama, an Anglican archdeacon based in the south of the country, which was hard hit by the quake.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 17, 2021
By contrast, Dr. Grantly, the old archdeacon, has limited administrative power but considerable real power, because it is rooted in a set of wide, deeply entrenched clan-family ties.
From The New Yorker ● Apr. 27, 2015
"But I do not quite see how I was affected by it--more, I mean, than others, archdeacon."
From The New Rector by Stanley John Weyman
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
