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
Even worse, the vampire covets the solicitor’s wife, and he’ll be moving into the old manse across the street from the couple.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 31, 2024
He and his wife lived in a manse in London’s tony Hampstead Garden Suburb.
From Washington Post • Jan. 11, 2023
We were standing in the driveway of the manse waiting for the horse and cart, which Made still regarded as the only dependable conveyance when there was a train to be caught.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
