deaconess

[ dee-kuh-nis ]
/ ˈdi kə nɪs /

noun

(in certain Protestant churches) a woman belonging to an order or sisterhood dedicated to the care of the sick or poor or who is engaging in other social-service duties, as teaching or missionary work.
a woman elected by a church to assist the clergy.

QUIZZES

CHALLENGE YOURSELF WITH THESE WORDS FROM "LITTLE WOMEN"

"Little Women" may be a classic, but that doesn't mean we all know the meanings of the vocab words from the book. Can you define these words correctly and make Jo proud?
Question 1 of 10
earnest
full seriousness, as of intention or purpose.
a feeling of dread, anxiety, or anguish.
urgent character; imperativeness; insistence; importunateness.
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Origin of deaconess

1530–40; earlier deaconisse, part translation, part adoption of Late Latin diāconissa, feminine of diāconus deacon; see -ess

usage note for deaconess

See -ess.

Words nearby deaconess

deaccession, deacetylate, deacidify, deacon, deacon seat, deaconess, deaconry, deactivate, deacylase, dead, dead ahead
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for deaconess

British Dictionary definitions for deaconess

deaconess
/ (ˈdiːkənɪs) /

noun

Christianity (in the early church and in some modern Churches) a female member of the laity with duties similar to those of a deacon
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