parish
- an ecclesiastical district having its own church and member of the clergy.
- a local church with its field of activity.
- (in Louisiana) a county.
- the people of an ecclesiastical or civil parish.
- Curling. house(def 20).
- on the parish, British.
- receiving charity from local authorities.
- Informal.meagerly or inadequately supplied.
Origin of parish
Examples from the Web for parish
Contemporary Examples
Church bells pealed from St. Catherine of Siena parish one block away.
According to Wahlberg, his time in prison, as well as the guidance of a parish priest, helped him turn his life around.
Mark Wahlberg’s Pardon Plea: A Look Back At His Troubling, Violent, and Racist Rap SheetMarlow Stern
December 7, 2014
Despite the multiple warnings, Bishop Finn chose to leave Ratigan in place in the parish.
Will the Vatican Finally Hold This Kansas City Bishop Accountable?Barbie Latza Nadeau
October 2, 2014
The parish priest Father Michele Iacono, dressed in purple vestments, blessed the bodies and performed last rights en masse.
His first gig was with a drum-and-bugle corps put together by the parish priest.
The Stacks: The Neville Brothers Stake Their Claim as Bards of the BayouJohn Ed Bradley
April 27, 2014
Historical Examples
His eyes were black an' his hair was red an' his voice like the parish bull.
The White CompanyArthur Conan Doyle
It had been the dear pet plan they had nursed in common with all the parish.
Quaint CourtshipsVarious
The nave, then as now, was the charge of the parish; the chancel, of the rector.
Cameos from English History, from Rollo to Edward IICharlotte Mary Yonge
James Nayler was born in the parish of Ardesley, in Yorkshire, 1616.
The Works of Whittier, Volume VI (of VII)John Greenleaf Whittier
And so this wench is to stock the parish with beauties, I hope.
Joseph Andrews, Vol. 2Henry Fielding
parish
- a subdivision of a diocese, having its own church and a clergymanRelated adjective: parochial
- the churchgoers of such a subdivision
- (in England and, formerly, Wales) the smallest unit of local government in rural areas
- (in Louisiana) a unit of local government corresponding to a county in other states of the US
- the people living in a parish
- on the parish history receiving parochial relief
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for parish
n.
c.1300, "district with its own church; members of such a church," from Anglo-French paroche, parosse (late 11c.), Old French paroisse, from Late Latin parochia "a diocese," alteration of Late Greek paroikia "a diocese or parish," from paroikos "a sojourner" (in Christian writers), in classical Greek, "neighbor," from para- "near" (see para- (1)) + oikos "house" (see villa).
Sense development unclear, perhaps from "sojourner" as epithet of early Christians as spiritual sojourners in the material world. In early Church writing the word was used in a more general sense than Greek diokesis, though by 13c. they were synonymous. Replaced Old English preostscyr, literally "priest-shire."