Subdiaconates

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Clerical offices of the lower ranks in a church, each held by a minister who assists a deacon in liturgical duties
2. The orders of ministers ranked just below deacons, who assist at Mass and carry out tasks in the church
3. Ecclesiastical ranks given to ministers who serve beneath the deacons and help with services and sacred duties

Etymology: "Subdiaconates" is the plural of "subdiaconate," the rank or office of a subdeacon, the minor clerical order that sits just below a deacon in the church hierarchy. The word is built from the prefix "sub-," meaning "under" or "below," added to "diaconate," the office of a deacon. The deacon's title itself comes from the Greek "diakonos," meaning "servant" or "attendant," so the subdiaconate is literally the office of one who serves beneath the servants. The plural simply refers to more than one such office, or to the holders of that office as a group. Since "diaconate" is the older base term, the compound follows the same logic as other English formations that pair "sub-" with a rank to name a lower grade.