parish
/ˈpæɹɪʃ/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.11 in modern English
11
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
6
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
An administrative part of a diocese that has its own church.
noun
An ecclesiastical society, usually not bounded by territorial limits, but composed of those persons who choose to unite under the charge of a particular priest, clergyman, or minister; also, loosely, the territory in which the members of a congregation live.
American usage
noun
In any of various countries, an administrative subdivision of an area, often of a county.
noun
In any of various countries, an administrative subdivision of an area, often of a county.
verb
Pronunciation spelling of perish, representing Mary–marry–merry merger English.
Example Sentences
- "With some of it on the south and more of it on the north of the great main thoroughfare that connects Aldgate and the East India Docks, St. Bede's at this period of its history was perhaps the poorest and most miserable parish in the East End of London."
- "Near-synonym: vicarate"
- "Atlantic gales constantly buffet Morwenstow, whose seven hamlets together constitute Cornwall's most northerly parish. The village is dotted with trees moulded into weird shapes by the wind, and above the trees rise the vicarage chimneystacks resembling miniature church towers."
- "[…] [m]akes possible, through the aid of the rural ministers, the development of the various phases of the District program, such as (a) Parishing of the District; (b) Interdenominational adjustment in the interest of rural religious advance […]"
- "Father Malachy, a distant cousin, who was parished somewhere in the depths of Co. Monaghan, sat firmly in the chair in the corner, sipping his tea from a china cup."
- "Consequently, approaching half of the non-metropolitan population of England is parished (Table 2.2). […] The South West and East Midlands are also particularly well parished while the North West, West Midlands and South East are poorly parished."
Etymology
From Middle English parisshe, from Old French paroisse (compare the obsolete variant paroch, from Anglo-Norman paroche, parosse), from Late Latin parochia, from Ancient Greek παροικία (paroikía, “a dwelling abroad”).
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *weyḱ-, parisshe, paroisse, parochia, παροικία
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈpæɹɪʃ/
- British English: /ˈpæɹɪʃ/