Podyachy or podyachiy (Russian: подьячий, sometimes подъячий; from Greek hypodiakonos, "assistant servant") is an office (bureaucratic) occupation in prikazes (local and upper governmental offices) and lesser local offices of Russia in 15th-18th centuries. But for an anachronism, it may be loosely translated as clerk. An office is a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organisation with specific duties attached to it (see officer, office-holder, official); the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one... In sociological theories, bureaucracy is an organizational structure characterized by regularized procedure, division of responsibility, hierarchy, and impersonal relationships. ... Occupation may refer to: the principal activity (job or calling) that earns money for a person (see profession, business) the periods of time following a nations territory invasion by controlling enemy troops (see belligerent occupation) any activity that occupies an important portion of a persons attention (see fan... Prikaz (Russian: ) was an administrative (palace, civil, military, or church) or judicial office in Muscovy and Russia of 15th-18th centuries. ... A clerk (rhymes with lurk) can be someone who works in an office and whose duties include record-keeping or correspondence. ...

Dyak (дьяк, archaic: diak, диак) was chief of a stuctural division of a prikaz. For example, "посольский дьяк" (posolsky dyak) is a dyak of the Posolsky Prikaz (Diplomacy Department). A duma dyak (думный дьяк) was the lowest rank in the Boyar Duma (15-17th centuries). A Duma (Ду́ма in Russian) is any of various representative assemblies in modern Russia and Russian history. ...

Podyachyes were classified into junior, middle and senior. A senior podyachy (Старший подьячий) was a councellor to a dyak.

See also "Deacon" for other Russian historical terms derived from Greek diakonos. Deacon is a role in the Christian Church which is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. ...