From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdeacondea‧con /ˈdiːkən/ noun [countable] RRCRRCa religious official, in some Christian churches, who is just below the rank of a priest
Examples from the Corpus
deacon• The same man apparently also posed as a deacon at a nearby Catholic parish but fled when confronted.• Straightening up for a second time, Anna thought Isobel looked more like a librarian than a deacon.• Hernandez has a friendly relationship with Champigny's Catholic priests and deacons.• Usually I end up with old men, pensioners, church deacons.• During this time he was ordained deacon and priest.• Thomas of Canterbury was in Touraine, he promoted his companion, Avertinus, to deacon.• No one questions the lives of the unmarried deacons.Origin deacon (900-1000) Late Latin diaconus, from Greek diakonos “servant”