parson

American  

[pahr-suhn] / ˈpɑr sən /

noun

• parsons
  plural

1. a member of the clergy, especially a Protestant minister; pastor; rector.

2. the holder or incumbent of a parochial benefice, especially an Anglican.

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parson British  

/ ˈpɑːsən /

noun

1. a parish priest in the Church of England, formerly applied only to those who held ecclesiastical benefices

2. any clergyman

3. a nonconformist minister

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• parsonic
  adjective
• parsonical
  adjective
• parsonish
  adjective
• parsonlike
  adjective
• parsonically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• parsons
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of parson

1200–50; Middle English persone < Medieval Latin persōna parish priest, Latin: personage. See person

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Explanation

Use the noun parson to describe a member of the clergy — a person with the authority to lead worship in a church or perform religious rites such as weddings and christenings. Historically, parson has been what Anglican church members call their minister or priest, but the term can also be used as a generic term for "clergy member." You might ask a parson to preside at your wedding, or to officiate at your grandmother's funeral, for example. Experts are uncertain about the exact origins of parson, although one theory says it's a shortened form of the Latin persona ecclesiae, "person of the church."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

parson parsons

Roy is mirrored in turn by the later appearance of another parson, Preston Teagardin, played by Robert Pattinson with the same lip-smacking comic flamboyance he recently brought to “The King.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2020

The sympathetic parson will reassure him, we think, but that’s not what happens.

From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2018

The mission failed, and Thomas was immortalized as “the parson of the islands.”

From Washington Post ● Sep. 2, 2017

If this strikes you as an unusual view for a parson, you are not alone.

From New York Times ● Jun. 7, 2017

The parson swallowed his pride and went to beg the Apothecary’s forgiveness.

From "A Monster Calls" by Patrick Ness

The parsons of the press corps then moved en masse to get a comment from the Journal, which in this case meant me.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Ah, say the parsons, then why not “disclose” any AI use?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

Here are striding parsons, botanising antiquarians, madmen, painters and poets.

From Economist ● Nov. 13, 2014

Last week, though parsons still thundered, Britons were betting more than ever.

From Time Magazine Archive

Any one could see with half an eye that the woman was as pious as could be—the kind that was hand and glove with parsons.

From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie

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