Acolit

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who attends or assists a priest or clergy member during religious rituals and ceremonies
2. An attendant or helper who aids a clergyman in the performance of religious rites and sacraments
3. Someone who serves as an assistant to a priest, supporting the conduct of liturgical services and worship

Etymology: "Acolit" is a variant spelling of "acolyte," which is ultimately from Greek "akolouthos," meaning "follower" or "attendant," built from "a-" meaning "together" and "keleuthos" meaning "way" or "path." The sense of someone who walks along with another, going the same way, is the root of the whole family of meanings. In the early Church, an acolyte was the lowest of the minor orders, a person who assisted the clergy by lighting candles, carrying vessels and attending the altar. The word reached English through Medieval Latin "acolythus" and Old French "acolite" in the late Old English or Middle English period, and it was used in the Middle Ages mainly for these church assistants. The "y" in the modern spelling was restored in the 16th and 17th centuries, when scholars re-Latinized many words, so "acolit" is the older, simpler form that the spelling later moved away from. Over time the word broadened from a church servant to anyone who serves or follows a leader, and it can still mean a devoted attendant or assistant today.