manse

American  

[mans] / mæns /

noun

1. the house and land occupied by a minister or parson.

2. the dwelling of a landholder; mansion.

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manse British  

/ mæns /

noun

1. (in certain religious denominations) the house provided for a minister

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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."

Example Sentences

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

Creepy, kooky, mysterious, spooky, altogether ooky, they’re a peerlessly happy, hospitable family, ever welcoming to the straight-world figures who stumble into their eccentric manse.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 25, 2024

Yet calls for change are also coming from inside the manse.

From Washington Post • Mar. 21, 2022

Tough brown grass and weed trees sprouted from the gaps between the cobbles, and the mossy walls of what once might have been a huge stone manse.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin