acolyte

From Middle English acolite, acolit, from Old French acolyt and Late Latin acolythus, from Ancient Greek ἀκόλουθος (akólouthos, “follower, attendant”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈæk.ə.laɪt/
• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈæk.ə.laɪt/, (Canadian raising) [ˈæk.ə.lɐɪt]

  • Audio (California):

    (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈæk.ə.lɑet/
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): /ˈɛk.ə.laɪt/, [ˈɛk.ə.lɑe̯t]

acolyte (plural acolytes)

1. (Christianity) One who has received the highest of the four minor orders in the Catholic Church, being ordained to carry the wine, water and lights at Mass.
2. (Christianity) An altar server.
   • 1965, Attila Zohar, Kings Cross Black Magic, Sydney: Horwitz Publications, page 27:

     The kneeling acolyte chimed a sacring-bell, and the congregation bent and swayed like a wheat-field swept scross by sudden wind.

3. An attendant, assistant, or follower.
   • 2024 October 31, Stephanie Amante-Ritter, “The Best Exotic Nanite Hotel” (8:16 from the start), in Star Trek: Lower Decks‎^[1], season 5, episode 3, spoken by Jack Ransom (Jerry O'Connell):

     “Apparently, one of Milius's acolytes spends a lot of time at the top of that huge, dangerous mountain. Better get climbing.” “(groans) Oh.”

(assistant): sidekick

• Douglas Harper (2001–2026), “acolyte”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

• cotylae

• acolythe (obsolete)

Inherited from Old French acolyt, from Ecclesiastical Latin acolytus, from Ancient Greek ἀκόλουθος (akólouthos, “follower, attendant”).

• IPA^(key): /a.kɔ.lit/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Somain)):

  (file)

acolyte m or f (plural acolytes)

1. (religion) acolyte
2. henchman, sidekick; partner in crime

• “acolyte”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012