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

In the South Bay, Diocese of San Jose Bishop Oscar Cantu says that Pope Francis was a refreshing voice to members of the 53 parishes throughout the diocese, where half offer Spanish masses. —Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 21 Apr. 2025

Hailing from the parish of St. Catherine, near the capital of Kingston, Blake found early joy in feeding people—namely his many siblings and his hardworking mother and father. —Jasmine Browley, Essence, 15 Apr. 2025

The verdict, which was reached on Friday, is likely to influence similar lawsuits filed by other parishes, or counties, in the state against other energy giants and their possible settlement negotiations. —Adeel Hassan, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025

But attendance dwindled in recent decades, and St. Peter was part of an extensive retrenchment by the Hartford Archdiocese, being merged with two other parishes into the Divine Providence parish in 2017. —Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 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