parson

American  

[pahr-suhn] / ˈpɑr sən /

noun

1. a member of the clergy, especially a Protestant minister; pastor; rector.

2. the holder or incumbent of a parochial benefice, especially an Anglican.

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parson British  

/ ˈpɑːsən, pɑːˈsɒnɪk /

noun

1. a parish priest in the Church of England, formerly applied only to those who held ecclesiastical benefices

2. any clergyman

3. a nonconformist minister

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Other Word Forms

• parsonic adjective
• parsonical adjective
• parsonically adverb
• parsonish adjective
• parsonlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of parson

1200–50; Middle English persone < Medieval Latin persōna parish priest, Latin: personage. See person

Example Sentences

He spoke with the easy grace of a country parson, but no fire and brimstone emanated from his pulpit as he calmly but bracingly recounted what he said was his mother’s family history.

From New York Times • Dec. 17, 2021

Roy is mirrored in turn by the later appearance of another parson, Preston Teagardin, played by Robert Pattinson with the same lip-smacking comic flamboyance he recently brought to “The King.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 15, 2020

Fleeing the law in Europe, the resourceful parson resurfaced as “Principal of the Anglican Divinity School in Ceylon.”

From Washington Post • Feb. 25, 2020

The sympathetic parson will reassure him, we think, but that’s not what happens.

From Salon • Jul. 6, 2018

“We might as well enjoy it, long as we can’t change it. You don’t have to be such a parson all the time.”

From "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbit