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Definition of parochial - 4 dictionary results

pa⋅ro⋅chi⋅al

  [puh-roh-kee-uhl]
Use parochial in a Sentence
–adjective
1. of or pertaining to a parish or parishes.
2. of or pertaining to parochial schools or the education they provide.
3. very limited or narrow in scope or outlook; provincial: parochial views; a parochial mentality.
Origin:
1350–1400; late ME parochialle < LL parochiālis (see parish, -al 1 ); r. ME parochiele < AF parochiel < LL as above

Related forms:
pa⋅ro⋅chi⋅al⋅ly, adverb
pa⋅ro⋅chi⋅al⋅ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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pa·ro·chi·al   (pə-rō'kē-əl)   
adj.  

  1. Of, relating to, supported by, or located in a parish.

  2. Of or relating to parochial schools.

  3. Narrowly restricted in scope or outlook; provincial: parochial attitudes.


[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin parochiālis, from parochia, diocese; see parish.]
pa·ro'chi·al·ism n., pa·ro'chi·al·ist n., pa·ro'chi·al·ly adv.
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

parochial 
1393, from Anglo-Fr. parochiel (1292), from O.Fr. parochial, from L.L. parochialis "of a parish" (c. 600), from parochia (see parish). Parochialism in the sense of "limited and narrow character or tendency" is first recorded 1847. Parochial school is attested from 1755.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: pa·ro·chi·al
Pronunciation: p&-'rO-kE-&l
Function: adjective
: of or relating to a parish
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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