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arch·dea·con

(ärch-dēkən)

A church official, as in the Anglican Church, who is in charge of temporal and other affairs in a diocese, with powers delegated from the bishop.

[Middle English archedeken, from Old English arcediakon, from Late Latin archidiāconus, from Late Greek arkhidiākonos : Greek arkhi-, archi- + Greek diākonos, deacon.]

arch·deacon·ate (-kə-nĭt) n.

arch·deacon·ship′ n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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