1. A cleric ranking just below a priest in the Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, and Roman Catholic churches.
2. A Protestant layperson who assists the minister in various functions.
3. Used as a title prefixed to the surname of such a person: Deacon Brown.

[Middle English deken, from Old English dīacon, from Late Latin diāconus, perhaps from Greek diākonos, attendant, minister.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.