What does "archdeacon" mean?

A senior administrative official in a diocese, just under the bishop, often in charge of an archdeaconry. As a title, it can be filled by either a deacon or priest.

What is a synonym for "archdeacon"?

Common synonyms include: archbishop, bishop, canon, cardinal, chaplain, coadjutor.

Archdeacon

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1
A senior administrative official in a diocese, just under the bishop, often in charge of an archdeaconry. As a title, it can be filled by either a deacon or priest.
2
(Anglican Church) an ecclesiastical dignitary usually ranking just below a bishop wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

archbishop bishop canon cardinal chaplain coadjutor

Etymology

From Middle English arcedekne, archdecon, archdekne, archdekyn, archedeken, archedekyn, archedyacun, archideken, archidiacon, ardekne, ercedekene, ercedekne, erchdekene, erchedekene, erchedekne, erresdeken, ersedekne, ersedekyn, from Old English ærcedæcne, ærcediæcne, earcedæcne (from Late Latin archidiāconus) and Old French arc(h)ediacne.

Related phrases

church of england

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.