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Parson

 - 3 dictionary results

par⋅son

  [pahr-suhn]
Use Parson in a Sentence
–noun
1. a member of the clergy, esp. a Protestant minister; pastor; rector.
2. the holder or incumbent of a parochial benefice, esp. an Anglican.
Origin:
1200–50; ME persone < ML persōna parish priest, L: personage. See person

Related forms:
par⋅son⋅ic  [pahr-son-ik] , par⋅son⋅i⋅cal, adjective
par⋅son⋅i⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
par⋅son⋅ish, par⋅son⋅like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Parson
par·son   (pär'sən)   
n.  

  1. An Anglican cleric with full legal control of a parish under ecclesiastical law; a rector.

  2. A member of the clergy, especially a Protestant minister.


[Middle English, parish priest, from Old French persone, from Medieval Latin persōna, from Latin, character; see person.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

parson 
1197, from Anglo-Fr., O.Fr. persone "curate, parson" (12c.), from M.L. persona "parson" (see person). Ecclesiastical use obscure, may refer to the "person" legally holding church property, or it may be an abbreviation of persona ecclesiae "person of the church." Parsonage "house for a parson" first attested 1472.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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