acolyte

noun

ac·​o·​lyte ˈa-kə-ˌlīt 

-kō-

plural acolytes

1

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

2

: follower:

a

: a person who attends or assists a leader

The mayor and some acolytes dined at their usual spot.

b

: disciple, pupil

… he studied acting with … an acolyte of the famed acting teacher …

—Evelyn Theiss

c

: fan, devotee

For acolytes of the craze, such high-brow bottles are worth the hefty price.

—BostonGlobe.com

… consistently sells out arenas … and inspires a generation of young acolytes …

—The Northland Age (New Zealand)

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."

Synonyms

• adherent
• convert
• disciple
• epigone
• follower
• liege man
• partisan
• partizan
• pupil
• votarist
• votary

Examples of acolyte in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The murder of Jewish talk radio host Alan Berg in 1984 by two of Mathews’ acolytes brought the Order to national attention 30 years ago and inspired not one but two Hollywood films in that decade—Betrayed and Oliver Stone’s Talk Radio. —Ali Winston, WIRED, 6 Dec. 2024

Meanwhile, her sister, Tula, is back on Wallach IX, standing over the body of a promising acolyte, Lila, who has not regained consciousness after going through the Agony and meeting with a hostile reception on the other side. —Scott Tobias, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2024

During his first term, Trump and his acolytes took aim at Social Security’s disability insurance program, a favorite target of conservative Republicans. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 26 Nov. 2024

All of this — well, all of this that doesn’t take place in a supernatural limbo — unfolds right in front of the Sisterhood’s other acolytes, who have gathered to watch the ritual. —Sean T. Collins, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

acolyte

noun

ac·​o·​lyte ˈak-ə-ˌlīt 

: a person who assists a member of the clergy in a service