parsonage
Americannoun
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the residence of a member of the clergy, as provided by the parish or church.
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English Ecclesiastical Law. the benefice of a parson.
noun
Etymology
Origin of parsonage
1250–1300; Middle English personage < Anglo-French, equivalent to Medieval Latin persōnāticum benefice. See parson, -age
Explanation
Parsonage is a somewhat old-fashioned term for the housing a church provides to its clergy. The priest of a church in the English countryside might live in a nearby parsonage. Parsonage literally means "house for a parson," and a parson is the member of the clergy, mainly in the British Anglican church, although Lutherans often use this terminology too. Other names for a parsonage include rectory, clergy house, or vicarage. One of the perks of being a priest in a small, rural church would be getting to live in a charming parsonage.
Vocabulary lists containing parsonage
"The Red Shoes" by Hans Christian Andersen
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"The Parson's Daughter of Oxney Colne" by Anthony Trollope
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The pastor did not say whether he benefited from living in a grace-and-favor parsonage.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
This particular "Mass Wuther" perhaps has an even stronger claim than most – it's held on Penistone Hill, not far from the famous Brontë parsonage in Haworth, in the Pennines.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
As do the moors that stretch behind the parsonage.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
The parsonage between the village and the moors where the Brontes lived with their clergyman father and brother, Branwell, is now a museum dedicated to their memory.
From Barron's ● Feb. 28, 2026
With all the snow, Turner could hardly keep the walks clear in front of the church, the parsonage, and Mrs. Cobb’s house, where they were living now.
From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
