rectory

[ rek-tuh-ree ]
See synonyms for rectory on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural rec·to·ries.
  1. a rector's house; parsonage.

  2. British. a benefice held by a rector.

Origin of rectory

1
1530–40; <Medieval Latin rēctōria, equivalent to Latin rēctōr- (stem of rēctor) rector + -ia-y3

Other words from rectory

  • sub·rec·to·ry, noun, plural sub·rec·to·ries.

Words Nearby rectory

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use rectory in a sentence

  • Nothing is there except the rectory, the church just across the way, the grange, and half a dozen thatched cottages.

  • The rectory, which is directly by the church, is a very old building, though it has been modernized on the side fronting the road.

  • I shall not go to the rectory, but put up at the King's Head, and to which you may address letters.

    A Thin Ghost and Others | M. R. (Montague Rhodes) James
  • First, nothing was to be expected from investigation at the rectory; and to be brief, nothing has transpired.

    A Thin Ghost and Others | M. R. (Montague Rhodes) James
  • He is still at the church; but we dare say he would be willing to leave it for a rectory, if one were offered, with £500 a year.

British Dictionary definitions for rectory

rectory

/ (ˈrɛktərɪ) /


nounplural -ries
  1. the official house of a rector

  2. Church of England the office and benefice of a rector

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012