Wordwyrt

acolyte

/ˈækəˌlaɪt/A-kuh-lyt
/ˈækəˌlaɪt/A-kuh-lyt

Meaningattendant or follower

Common meaning: a helper, especially at worship

‘together with’ + ‘a road, a path’ → acolyte

Journey through time

  • a — Greek ἀ- “together with” (path traced)
  • colyte — Greek κέλευθος “a road, a path” (path traced)

Parts join in Greek as akolouthos.

  1. Greekἀ- + κέλευθος‘together with + a road, a path’source
  2. Greekakolouthos‘attendant or follower’source
  3. Medieval Latinacolythus‘an attendant’source
  4. Englishmeaning shiftsan attendant → a helper, especially at worshipacolyte‘a helper, especially at worship’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

  • UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
  • No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
  • US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
  • No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Greek akolouthos, which Skeat analyses as ἀ- ‘together with’ + κέλευθος ‘a road, a path’.

Roots

Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app