Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

civil parish

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.05 in modern English

Syllables
civil -parish
IPA
21
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
2
Syllables
9
Unique Chars

Meaning

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.

Etymology

The word parish for a local area of church and/or government authority predates rigorous modern distinctions between ecclesiastical and civil affairs. The term civil parish uses intentional pleonasm, in a way that natural language sometimes does, to easily and efficiently ensure clarity through disambiguation. By the same underlying principle, the term ecclesiastical parish is retronymic.

Inflected Forms

civil parishes (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

district municipality township prefecture county

Synonyms

parish[Appendix:Glossary CP

Questions

What does civil parish mean?
In any of various countries, an administrative subdivision of an area, often of a county.
Where does civil parish come from?
The word parish for a local area of church and/or government authority predates rigorous modern distinctions between ecclesiastical and civil affairs. The term civil parish uses intentional pleonasm, in a way that natural language sometimes does, to easily and efficiently ensure clarity through disambiguation. By the same underlying principle, the term ecclesiastical parish is retronymic.

How to pronounce civil parish

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “civil parish”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “civil parish”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “civil parish” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.