parish
Americannoun
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an ecclesiastical district having its own church and member of the clergy.
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a local church with its field of activity.
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(in Louisiana) a county.
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the people of an ecclesiastical or civil parish.
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Curling. house.
idioms
noun
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a subdivision of a diocese, having its own church and a clergyman
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the churchgoers of such a subdivision
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(in England and, formerly, Wales) the smallest unit of local government in rural areas
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(in Louisiana) a unit of local government corresponding to a county in other states of the US
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the people living in a parish
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history receiving parochial relief
Other Word Forms
- interparish adjective
- transparish adjective
Etymology
Origin of parish
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
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.
In my five years as bishop of Joliet, our diocese went through a restructuring that required parish mergers and hard decisions.
Jayes is also on the parish council "for my sins", he says with a wry smile.
From BBC
More than one-third of Louisiana’s parishes lack a single obstetrician—gynecologist, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.
Charlie suggested to the local priest the idea of using the parish church's juvenile sodality - a religious group for young parishioners - as the basis for a football league.
From BBC
It comes after $3 million of earlier assistance, also provided through the same mechanisms, with the material aid being delivered by local parish representatives.
From Barron's
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.
