deaconess
nounUS, UK /ˌdiːkəˈnɛs/
Etymology Inherited from Middle English dekenesse; equivalent to deacon + -ess.
1
Christianity A non-clerical role for women in some churches.
2
Christianity Rare A female deacon.
3
A female servant in the early Christian church.
4
The nun in charge of the altar in a convent.
5
One of an order of women in some Protestant churches who nurse the sick and tend the poor.
- Derived terms
- deaconess-house, deaconess house
- Related terms
- deaconry, deaconship, diaconal, diaconate
- Coordinate terms
- deacon