acolyte

noun

ac·o·lyte ˈa-kə-ˌlīt

-kō-

Synonyms of acolyte next

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

: one who attends or assists a leader : follower

The mayor dined with a few of his acolytes.

Did you know?

Follow the etymological path of acolyte back far enough and you'll arrive at kéleuthos, a Greek noun that means "path" and that is itself the parent of akólouthos, an adjective that means "following." Akólouthos traveled from Greek, leaving offspring in Medieval Latin and Anglo-French; its English descendant, acolyte, emerged in the 14th century. Originally, acolyte was exclusively a term for a person who assisted a priest at Mass, but by the 19th century, the word 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 That led to his bid for reelection this year, in violation of the Salvadoran constitution but with an exception authored by his congressional and judicial acolytes. —

Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2024 The hymn-like first theme gathers around it faster-moving motifs, like beauty personified collecting ever more acolytes and worshipers. —

Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 19 July 2024 Somehow, Musk and his acolytes continue to sell the idea that cameras-only Teslas are not just safe but the future of autonomous transportation. —

Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2024 And while there’s nothing new in Trump refusing to accept electoral defeat, in 2024, his acolytes have embedded themselves in the systems that are supposed to make our elections function. —

Michelle Goldberg, The Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for acolyte

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'acolyte.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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-, akin to Greek heîs "one," homós "same") + -kolouthos (ablaut form, in a compound, of kéleuthos "path," of uncertain origin) — more at same entry 1 — more at same entry 1