noun
- (in hierarchical churches) a member of the clerical order next below that of a priest.
- (in other churches) an appointed or elected officer having variously defined duties.
- (in Freemasonry) either of two officers in a masonic lodge.
verb (used with object)
- to pack (vegetables or fruit) with only the finest pieces or the most attractive sides visible.
- to falsify (something); doctor.
- to castrate (a pig or other animal).
- to read aloud (a line of a psalm, hymn, etc.) before singing it.
noun Christianity
- (in the Roman Catholic and other episcopal churches) an ordained minister ranking immediately below a priest
- (in Protestant churches) a lay official appointed or elected to assist the minister, esp in secular affairs
- Scot the president of an incorporated trade or body of craftsmen in a burgh
Old English deacon, diacon, from Late Latin diaconus, from Greek diakonos “servant of the church, religious official,” literally “servant,” from dia- “thoroughly” + PIE *kon-o-, from root *ken- “to set oneself in motion.”