Acolythus

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who acts as an assistant to a clergy member during religious rituals and ceremonies
2. An attendant who helps a priest or minister perform sacred rites and worship services
3. One who serves as a helper to a clergyman in conducting religious functions and rituals

Etymology: This spelling is an older variant of "acolyte," and it traces back to the Greek "akolouthos," meaning "follower" or "attendant." In that original sense, the word described someone who went along with a superior to serve them, whether a companion, a servant, or a retainer. The Greek is a compound that likely combines a prefix meaning "together" with a root meaning "road" or "way," so an attendant was, roughly, someone who travels the same path. The sense of a church assistant developed in Christian Latin. Medieval Latin "acolythus" was applied to a minor clerical role, one who assisted at the altar and carried the lights and other items for the service. English adopted the word in the Middle Ages, probably through Old French, and the spelling "acolythus" shows the Latin and Greek forms more closely than the modern "acolyte" does. The spelling has since fallen out of common use.