parish

[par-ish]

noun

1. an ecclesiastical district having its own church and member of the clergy.

2. a local church with its field of activity.

3. (in Louisiana) a county.

4. the people of an ecclesiastical or civil parish.

5. Curling.,  house.

parish

/ ˈpærɪʃ /

noun

1. a subdivision of a diocese, having its own church and a clergyman

2. the churchgoers of such a subdivision

3. (in England and, formerly, Wales) the smallest unit of local government in rural areas

4. (in Louisiana) a unit of local government corresponding to a county in other states of the US

5. the people living in a parish

6. history receiving parochial relief

Other Word Forms

• interparish adjective
• transparish adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of parish¹

1250–1300; Middle English, variant of parosshe < Middle French paroisse < Late Latin parochia, alteration of paroecia < Late Greek paroikía, derivative of Greek pároikos neighbor, (in Christian usage) sojourner ( paroicous ); -ia

Word History and Origins

Origin of parish¹

C13: from Old French paroisse, from Church Latin parochia, from Late Greek paroikia, from paroikos Christian, sojourner, from Greek: neighbour, from _para- ¹ (beside) + oikos house

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. on the parish,

   1. receiving charity from local authorities.

   2. Informal. meagerly or inadequately supplied.

Example Sentences

But the economic benefits of Hollywood rolling into town would have been felt far beyond this woodland parish.

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But though few expect change to come so quickly, the visit is still important, said a Maronite parish priest, Father Tony Elias, from Rmeish, a village located just across the border from Israel.

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In Damascus, Father Makarios Qalouma from a Greek Catholic parish said he was keen for the visit to bring "hope and peace" to Lebanon and Syria.

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He said his was one of four farms in the local parish that were broken into on the same night.

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Born James Chambers in 1944, Cliff grew up as the eighth of nine children in abject poverty in the parish of St. James, Jamaica.

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Related Words

• church