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.
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
Mina Smallman, the former Church of England archdeacon whose daughters Nicole and Bibaa were murdered in a London park, will examine support for victims of crime and look into the Reclaim These Streets movement.
From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2021
“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
The archdeacon scolded him roundly for placing the matter in the hands of the lawyers without consulting him.
From The New Rector by Weyman, Stanley John
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.
