: a clergyman having the duty of assisting a diocesan bishop in ceremonial functions or administrative work
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebWhen Flynn died, new owners brought in an archdeacon for an onboard exorcism. Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 18 July 2022 Keith Cartwright, archdeacon of the Diocese of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, officiated.New York Times, 6 May 2018
Word History
Etymology
Middle English archedeken, from Old English arcediacon, from Late Latin archidiaconus, from Late Greek archidiakonos, from Greek archi- + diakonos deacon
First Known Use
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of archdeacon was before the 12th century