Parish Meaning
/ˈpæɹɪʃ/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounAn administrative part of a diocese that has its own church.
nounThe community attending that church; the members of the parish.
Sentence Examples
They are the boys of the parish.
He is a member of the parish committee.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The priest visited every family in the ____ to offer blessings.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The local ____ organized a fundraising dinner to repair the roof of the historic church.
Word Origin & History
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”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter VII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
"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."
— 1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 288:
"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."
— 1972, Winter's Tales from Ireland, volume 2, page 55:
"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."
— 1992, Parish and town councils in England: a survey, pages 17 and 21:
"Dr Whitehead: In your written evidence, you have all in different ways made the distinction between NDOs in parished areas and NDOs in non-parished areas, […]"
— 2011, Sustainable development in the Localism Bill: third report, →ISBN, page 5:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The priest visited every family in the ____ to offer blessings.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The local ____ organized a fundraising dinner to repair the roof of the historic church.