n. A slave serving in an ancient temple, as in Greece or Anatolia, in the service of a specific deity. [Late Latin hierodūlus, from Greek hierodoulos : hieron, temple (from neuter of hieros, holy; see eis- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots) + doulos, slave.] hi′er·o·dulic (-dlĭk, -dy-) adj. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.