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Vinony

deaconess

noun

  1. female Christian ministering position
  2. profession
L31337 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˌdiːkəˈnɛs/

noun

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

  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.