Where does “acolyte” come from?
Acolyte comes from Old French acolyt, from Ancient Greek ἀκόλουθος meaning "follower" or "attendant," derived from the Proto-Indo-European root kel- meaning "to go" or "move."
acolyte (English): One who has received the highest of the four...
Definitions
- One who has received the highest of the four...
Ancestry of “acolyte”, step by step
acolyte traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French acolyt
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | acolyt | — |
| 2 | Ecclesiastical Latin | acolytus | — |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | ἀκόλουθος | following, attending |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | ἀ- | The alpha privativum, used to make words that... |
| 5 | Proto-Hellenic | hə- | same; together |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | sm̥- | one; with, together |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | sem- | together, one |
via Late Latin acolythus
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Late Latin | acolythus | acolyte |