# deaconess

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˌdiːkəˈnɛs/ · frequency rank #62,824

## Definitions
1. A non-clerical role for women in some churches.
2. A female deacon.
3. A female servant in the early Christian church.
4. The nun in charge of the altar in a convent.
5. One of an order of women in some Protestant churches who nurse the sick and tend the poor.

## Etymology
Inherited from Middle English dekenesse; equivalent to deacon + -ess.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/deaconess