early 14c., "inferior officer in the church," from Old French acolite or directly from Medieval Latin acolytus (Late Latin acoluthos), from Greek akolouthos "following, attending on,&qu [..]

A person who assists in the worship service. Normally the acolyte serves by lighting and extinguishing the candles on the communion or altar table and distributing and collecting the offering plates. [..]

(n) someone who assists a priest or minister in a liturgical service; a cleric ordained in the highest of the minor orders in the Roman Catholic Church but not in the Anglican Church or the Eastern Or [..]

1. One who has received the highest of the four minor orders in the Catholic church, being ordained to carry the wine and water and the lights at the Mass. 2. One who attends; an assistant. "With such chiefs, and with James and John as acolytes." Origin: LL. Acolythus, acoluthus, Gr. Following, attending: cf. F. Acolyte. (01 Mar 1998)