acolyte

noun

ac·o·lyte | \ ˈa-kə-ˌlīt

, -kō-\

Definition of acolyte

1 : one who assists a member of the clergy in a liturgical service by performing minor duties

2 : one who attends or assists a leader : follower The mayor dined with a few of his acolytes.

Synonyms & Antonyms Did You Know? More Example Sentences Learn More about acolyte

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Did You Know?

Follow the etymological path of acolyte back far enough and you'll arrive at keleuthos, a Greek noun that means "path" and that is itself the parent of akolouthos, an adjective that means "following." Akolouthos traveled from Greek, leaving offspring in Medieval Latin and Anglo-French, and its descendant, acolyte, emerged in English in the 14th century. Originally, it was exclusively a term for a person who assisted a priest at Mass, but by the 19th century acolyte had acquired additional meanings, among them "attendant body, satellite" (a meaning used in astronomy) and "attendant insect" (a zoological sense), as well as the general meaning assistant or sidekick.

Examples of acolyte in a Sentence

a popular professor dining with a few of her acolytes a highly influential economist whose acolytes can be found at many major universities

Recent Examples on the Web

Roberts met the longtime Brockhampton member Dom McLennon while gaming on Xbox Live, one of the many online platforms teeming with the band’s acolytes. — Carrie Battan, The New Yorker, "Brockhampton Grows Up," 2 Sep. 2019 Milton Friedman and his acolytes began the campaign for shareholder primacy, to place the shareholder at the center of business decision-making, in the early 1970s. — Judith Samuelson, Quartz at Work, "Did the Business Roundtable just sound the death knell for shareholder primacy?," 19 Aug. 2019 Modi’s acolytes have often sold him as an inclusive leader, a unifier in the international arena but fail to explain the Prime Minister’s studied silence against hate in the country, often manufactured in his own backyard. — Rana Ayyub, Time, "What a Rising Tide of Violence Against Muslims in India Says About Modi's Second Term," 28 June 2019 For Sondheim acolytes, this interlude Monday night on the stage of Town Hall — where one of musical theater’s all-time great composers was the guest star of a concert hosted by fellow composer Jason Robert Brown — was akin to a religious experience. — Peter Marks, Washington Post, "The rarest of public events: Sondheim sings Sondheim!," 25 June 2019 The show also features an impressive supporting cast, starting with Winkler's deliciously vain but sweetly paternal performance as a guru who genuinely cares for his acolytes. — Hank Stuever, chicagotribune.com, "Terrific 'Barry' shows how HBO's best dramas are often found in its comedies," 23 Mar. 2018 If this was The End, Pacquiao and his team and acolytes would take a relaxed approach. — Greg Bishop, SI.com, "'This Would Be a Great Way to Go Out': Behind the Scenes of Pacquiao’s Win Over Thurman," 21 July 2019 He had recently retired from his teaching job at Ramapo College in New Jersey, allowing him to live full-time in Vermont and throw himself into writing and cultivating the activists and acolytes who had gathered around him. — Matthew Zeitlin, The New Republic, "Bernie’s Red Vermont," 13 June 2019 On Judah’s Advance, Dan Henry, the pastor at The Ark — the Christian Identity church where Byrds worshipped, but that has also helped produce violent acolytes — read a line of scripture, and the band thanked him in the credits. — Leah Sottile, Longreads, "Chapter Five: The Remnant," 20 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'acolyte.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for acolyte

Middle English acolite, borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French acolit, borrowed from Medieval Latin acolūthus, acolythus, acolitus, going back to Late Latin, "person assisting the priest," borrowed from Middle Greek akólouthos, going back to Greek, "following, (as noun) follower, attendant," from a- (variant, before a following aspirate consonant, of ha- "having one, having the same," going back to Indo-European sm̥-) + -kolouthos (ablaut form, in a compound, of kéleuthos "path"); akin to Greek heîs "one," homós "same" and perhaps to Greek keleúein "to direct forward, urge on" — more at same entry 1, hold entry 1

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More Definitions for acolyte

acolyte

noun

English Language Learners Definition of acolyte

formal : someone who follows and admires a leader

: someone who helps the person who leads a church service

See the full definition for acolyte in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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acolyte

Definition of acolyte

Synonyms & Antonyms for acolyte

Did You Know?

Examples of acolyte in a Sentence

First Known Use of acolyte

History and Etymology for acolyte

English Language Learners Definition of acolyte

acolyte

Definition of acolyte

Synonyms & Antonyms for acolyte

Did You Know?

Examples of acolyte in a Sentence

First Known Use of acolyte

History and Etymology for acolyte

English Language Learners Definition of acolyte

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