akolouthos

Greek keleuthos meant a path or way. The prefix a- here meant together-with (a different alpha from the privative a- meaning 'without'). Akolouthos was one who follows the same path: an attendant, a companion on a journey. Aristotle used akolouthia for logical consequence — one proposition that follows from another. The philosophical and liturgical senses both involve following.

In early Christian usage, the acolytus was a minor church order — one of the four minor orders below the major orders of deacon, priest, and bishop. The acolyte assisted at Mass: carrying candles, preparing cruets of water and wine, assisting the deacon. The role formalized in Rome by the 3rd century CE. It was the entry-level role in the ecclesiastical hierarchy, often held by boys.

The Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) restructured minor orders. What had been the 'order of acolyte' became the 'ministry of acolyte,' opened to laypeople and women. The acolyte who carries candles at a Catholic Mass might be a child, a permanent deacon, or a laywoman. The ancient order became a lay ministry.

In secular English, 'acolyte' now describes any devoted follower, especially a political one. A politician's acolytes, a cult leader's acolytes, a celebrity's acolytes: all describe people who follow the same path as a leader, as the Greek word always implied. The liturgical role became a general description of devoted following.