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Deacon vs Dean - What's the difference?

deacon | dean |

As nouns the difference between deacon and dean

is that deacon is a designated minister of charity in the early Church (see Acts 6:1-6) while dean is a senior official in a college or university, who may be in charge of a division or faculty (for example, the dean of science) or have some other advisory or disciplinary function (for example, the dean of students).

As verbs the difference between deacon and dean

is that deacon is for a choir leader to lead a hymn by speaking one or two lines at a time, which are then sung by the choir while dean is {{cx|intransitive|rare|lang=en}} To serve as a dean.

As a proper noun Dean is

a title afforded to a dean.

deacon

English

Noun

(en noun)
  • (Church history) A designated minister of charity in the early Church (see Acts 6:1-6).
  • (Roman Catholicism) A clergyman ranked directly below a priest, with duties of helping the priests and carrying out parish work.
  • (Protestantism) Free Churches : A lay leader of a congregation who assists the pastor.
  • (Protestantism) Anglicanism : An ordained clergyman usually serving a year prior to being ordained presbyter, though in some cases they remain a permanent deacon.
  • (Protestantism) Methodism : A separate office from that of minister, neither leading to the other; instead there is a permanent deaconate.
  • (freemasonry) A junior lodge officer.
  • (Mormonism) The lowest office in the (Aaronic priesthood), generally held by 12 or 13 year old boys or recent converts.
  • (US, animal husbandry) A male calf of a dairy breed, so called because they are usually ed (see below).
  • (Scotland) The chairman of an incorporated company.

    • Derived terms

    * archdeacon * deaconal * deaconate * deaconess * deaconize * deaconry * deacon-seat * subdeacon

    See also

    * (wikipedia "deacon") * diaconate

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • (Christianity, music) For a choir leader to lead a hymn by speaking one or two lines at a time, which are then sung by the choir.
  • (US, animal husbandry) To kill a calf shortly after birth.
  • (US) To place fresh fruit at the top of a barrel or other container, with spoiled or imperfect fruit hidden beneath.
  • * {{quote-book, 1902, (George Horace Lorimer), Old Gorgon Graham citation
    • , passage=It's like buying a barrel of apples that's been deaconed — after you've found that the deeper you go the meaner and wormier the fruit, you forget all about the layer of big, rosy, wax-finished pippins that was on top.}}

    Anagrams

    * *

    dean

    English

    (wikipedia dean)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A senior official in a college or university, who may be in charge of a division or faculty (for example, the dean of science'') or have some other advisory or disciplinary function (for example, the ''dean of students ).
  • A dignitary or presiding officer in certain church bodies, especially an ecclesiastical dignitary, subordinate to a bishop, in charge of a chapter of canon.
  • The senior member of some group of people.
    • dean of the diplomatic corps - a country's most senior ambassador
    dean of the House - the longest-serving member of a legislature
  • * 1955 , edition, ISBN 0553249592, page 67:
    • All of the switchboard operators had been parties to it, including Marie Willis. Their dean , Alice Hart, collected
  • (Sussex) a hill (chiefly place names).

    • Related terms

    * decanal

    Derived terms

    * dean and chapter * deaness

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To serve as a dean.
  • To send (a student) to see the dean of a university.

    • Anagrams

    * * * ----