Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "deaconess" [dea•con•ess]

  • A Protestant woman who assists the minister in various functions. (noun)
  • Used as a title prefixed to the surname of such a woman: Deaconess Brown. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "deaconess" in a sentence
  • "A deaconess is a member of a deaconess institution, actively engaged in charitable deeds, but, like the deaconess on the Continent, she can sever her connection with it when adequate cause presents itself, and return to her family and friends."
  • "Mission, is in all respects a synonym for "deaconess," as the name is understood in the large deaconess establishment at Mildmay."
  • "In the case of Phoebe, they usually translate it "deaconess"."