A Podyachy or podyachiy (; from the Greek hypodiakonos, "assistant servant") was an office (bureaucratic) occupation in prikazes (local and upper governmental offices) and lesser local offices of Russia in 15th-18th centuries. As an anachronism, it may be loosely translated as clerk the Latin word equally derived from a clerical title, and generically used.

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).

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

• See also "Deacon" for other historical terms derived from the Greek diakonos.

Government occupations | History of Russia