n. [ LL. acolythus, acoluthus, Gr. &unr_; following, attending: cf. F. acolyte. ] [ 1913 Webster ]
1. (Eccl.) 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. [ 1913 Webster ]
2. One who attends; an assistant. “With such chiefs, and with James and John as acolytes.” Motley. [ 1913 Webster ]
(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 Orthodox Churches