manse
Americannoun
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the house and land occupied by a minister or parson.
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the dwelling of a landholder; mansion.
noun
Etymology
Origin of manse
1480–90; earlier manss, mans < Medieval Latin mānsus a farm, dwelling, noun use of past participle of Latin manēre to dwell. See remain
Explanation
Manse is an old-fashioned word used to describe the house a Protestant minister lives in. It can also refer more informally to a grand house or the main house of an estate. The housing that a church provides for a member of its clergy can be called a clergy house, parish house, parsonage, rectory — or a manse, in the case of a Presbyterian minister's home. If your best friend lives in a twelve-bedroom house with a staff of servants, you might call her home a manse as well. The word manse, like mansion, comes from the Medieval Latin mansus, "dwelling."
Vocabulary lists containing manse
Where the World Ends
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The Hiding Place
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Anne of Avonlea
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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.
After all, Sally is pretty much the only dog owner in town who has kept her charge from relieving itself on the stone walls surrounding the Sullivan manse.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
Mr and Mrs Mitchell own the neighbouring manse property, which was once home to the church minister and is also used as luxury accommodation.
From BBC • Nov. 25, 2025
Three seasons after George and Bertha carted their majestic plunder from Old Europe into their showy manse, they’ve laid claim to New York society.
From Salon • Jun. 22, 2025
Actor Jon Voight was among the attendees at one held at a bayfront manse on gated Harbor Island in Newport Beach.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2024
Magister Illyrio had urged him to wait in Pentos, had offered him the hospitality of his manse, but Viserys would have none of it.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
