Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Deaconess \Dea"con*ess\, n. (Eccl.)
   A female deacon; as:
   (a) (Primitive Ch.) One of an order of women whose duties
       resembled those of deacons.
   (b) (Ch. of Eng. and Prot. Epis. Ch.) A woman set apart for
       church work by a bishop.
   (c) A woman chosen as a helper in church work, as among the
       Congregationalists.

Source : WordNet®

deaconess
     n : a woman deacon