parsonage
Americannoun
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the residence of a member of the clergy, as provided by the parish or church.
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English Ecclesiastical Law. the benefice of a parson.
noun
Etymology
Origin of parsonage
1250–1300; Middle English personage < Anglo-French, equivalent to Medieval Latin persōnāticum benefice. See parson, -age
Explanation
Parsonage is a somewhat old-fashioned term for the housing a church provides to its clergy. The priest of a church in the English countryside might live in a nearby parsonage. Parsonage literally means "house for a parson," and a parson is the member of the clergy, mainly in the British Anglican church, although Lutherans often use this terminology too. Other names for a parsonage include rectory, clergy house, or vicarage. One of the perks of being a priest in a small, rural church would be getting to live in a charming parsonage.
Vocabulary lists containing parsonage
"The Red Shoes" by Hans Christian Andersen
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"The Parson's Daughter of Oxney Colne" by Anthony Trollope
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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.
The pastor did not say whether he benefited from living in a grace-and-favor parsonage.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 5, 2026
She married and then died at the parsonage in 1855 at 38 of complications from her first pregnancy.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
The parsonage between the village and the moors where the Brontes lived with their clergyman father and brother, Branwell, is now a museum dedicated to their memory.
From Barron's ● Feb. 28, 2026
She also went to his church and the youth club he ran from the parsonage where he lived in Reigate.
From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2026
Near the churchyard, and in the middle of a garden, stood a well-built though small house, which I had no doubt was the parsonage.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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