parish

noun

par·​ish ˈper-ish 

ˈpa-rish

1

a(1)

: the ecclesiastical unit of area committed to one pastor

(2)

: the residents of such an area

b

British : a subdivision of a county often coinciding with an original ecclesiastical parish and constituting the unit of local government

2

: a local church community composed of the members or constituents of a Protestant church

3

: a civil division of the state of Louisiana corresponding to a county in other states

Examples of parish in a Sentence

The parish will be getting a new priest soon.

The parish has grown significantly in the last three years.

Recent Examples on the Web

Living like a gentleman on the income from a not particularly prosperous parish, like her father did, involved a certain amount of keeping up appearances. —Lucy Worsley september 16, Literary Hub, 16 Sep. 2025

The Annunciation parish and school community is resuming some of its on-campus activities following a mass shooting that left two children dead and injured 17 people, one of whom is still hospitalized. —Staff Report, Twin Cities, 14 Sep. 2025

Standing outside the parish, Walz solemnly addressed reporters, lamenting that press conferences like this one had become all too common. —Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025

Wake Up Dead Man is centered around a Catholic parish in the fictional town of Chimney Rock in upstate New York called Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude. —Esther Zuckerman, Time, 8 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English parisshe, from Anglo-French paroche, parosse, from Late Latin parochia, from Late Greek paroikia, from paroikos Christian, from Greek, stranger, from para- + oikos house — more at vicinity

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Phrases Containing parish

• inter-parish
• parish-pump

Kids Definition

parish

noun

par·​ish ˈpar-ish 

1

a

: a section of a church district in the care of a priest or minister

b

: the persons who live in and attend the church of such a section

2

: the members of a church

3

: a division of the state of Louisiana that is similar to a county in other states

Legal Definition

parish

noun

par·​ish ˈpar-ish 

: a civil division of the state of Louisiana corresponding to a county in other states