parish

noun

par·​ish ˈper-ish 

ˈpa-rish

1

a(1)

: the ecclesiastical unit of area committed to one pastor

(2)

: the residents of such an area

b

British : a subdivision of a county often coinciding with an original ecclesiastical parish and constituting the unit of local government

2

: a local church community composed of the members or constituents of a Protestant church

3

: a civil division of the state of Louisiana corresponding to a county in other states

Examples of parish in a Sentence

The parish will be getting a new priest soon.

The parish has grown significantly in the last three years.

Recent Examples on the Web

Nearly 170 bishops from France and around the world took part, along with one priest from each of the 113 parishes in the Paris diocese, accompanied by worshippers from these communities. —Thomas Adamson and Sylvie Corbet The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 9 Dec. 2024

After mass ended, the crowd participated in the mile-long procession that showcased over 60 groups from Catholic parishes across Arizona. —David Ulloa Jr, The Arizona Republic, 8 Dec. 2024

Some 170 bishops from France and around the world will also be involved in the ceremony, along with one priest from each of the 106 parishes in the Paris diocese. —Christian Edwards, CNN, 5 Dec. 2024

When the tradition began back in 1982, shortly after he was assigned to St. Michael’s parish in Livermore, Rezendes celebrated the moment with a Christmas display of 2,000 lights in his driveway. —Susan Young, People.com, 5 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English parisshe, from Anglo-French paroche, parosse, from Late Latin parochia, from Late Greek paroikia, from paroikos Christian, from Greek, stranger, from para- + oikos house — more at vicinity

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Phrases Containing parish

• inter-parish
• parish-pump

Kids Definition

parish

noun

par·​ish ˈpar-ish 

1

a

: a section of a church district in the care of a priest or minister

b

: the persons who live in and attend the church of such a section

2

: the members of a church

3

: a division of the state of Louisiana that is similar to a county in other states

Legal Definition

parish

noun

par·​ish ˈpar-ish 

: a civil division of the state of Louisiana corresponding to a county in other states