rectory
Americannoun
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a rector's house; parsonage.
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British. a benefice held by a rector.
noun
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the official house of a rector
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Church of England the office and benefice of a rector
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of rectory
1530–40; < Medieval Latin rēctōria, equivalent to Latin rēctōr- (stem of rēctor ) rector + -ia -y 3
Explanation
A rectory is the housing that a church organization provides for a minister or priest to live in. Most rectories are conveniently close to the church. The official name of a minister who lives in a rectory is a rector, a clergy member of either the Episcopal, Catholic, or Anglican churches. Some universities, particularly in Scotland, have academic positions with the name rector, and they are also sometimes provided with rectories to live in. In Latin, rector means "ruler or governor," from regere, "to rule or guide."
Vocabulary lists containing rectory
The Poet X
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"St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves" by Karen Russell
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Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
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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.
Redbird – Set inside the former rectory of Vibiana, Redbird is a modern American restaurant built for sharing.
From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026
Including servants, 23 people were crammed into a chaotic rectory where no one kept regular hours and money was always short.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026
Bishop Sellin was born in Scotland where her father was an ordained minister and the family lived in the rectory.
From BBC • Mar. 3, 2024
The Archdiocese of Omaha asked for prayers in a statement Sunday about the “invasion at the rectory of St. John the Baptist parish in Fort Calhoun.”
From Seattle Times • Dec. 11, 2023
Father Jack had provided Farmer and other financially strapped students with small rooms in the rectory.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
