French word

sous-diacre

Pronunciation

IPA/sudjakʁ/

Meaning

  • masculine nounsubdeacon

Example

Mon grand-père était sous-diacre dans sa paroisse.

My grandfather was a subdeacon in his parish.

Illustration for sous-diacre (subdeacon)

More examples

Dans notre village, le sous-diacre aide parfois aux cérémonies locales.

In our village, the subdeacon sometimes helps with local ceremonies.

Core concept

A ceremonial church official positioned one step below the deacon in the clergy.

Similar words

prêtre: A church minister who leads worship and presides over important ceremonies for the faithful.
diacre: A church minister who assists the priest in worship and carries out service duties.

Definition in French

Le sous-diacre désigne, dans la liturgie chrétienne, un membre du clergé occupant une charge subordonnée au diacre, rôle devenu rare dans le rite romain moderne.

Word origin

French formed sous-diacre by placing sous before diacre to mark a subordinate clerical rank, while diacre comes through Latin diaconus from Greek diakonos.

Usage tips

  • The word belongs chiefly to ecclesiastical or historical contexts and is uncommon in ordinary modern French conversation.

Opposites

  • laïclaypersonnoun

Word lists with this word