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

The ethnic parishes helped settle these new communities, individually if not in communion with one another. —Geraldo Cadava, New Yorker, 22 May 2025

The parish dates to 1886 with early structures built in 1917, but the existing church structure on South Leyden Avenue and East 137th Street was constructed in 1957, when Prevost would have turned 2. —Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 18 May 2025

Chicago resident Greg Krajewski said he’s been a practicing Catholic his whole life and sings at his local parish every Sunday. —Brooke Sopelsa, NBC news, 10 May 2025

Although no process is perfect and certainly there has been pain with the realignment of parishes, our sweeping initiative is beginning to bear good fruit. —William E. Lori, Baltimore Sun, 24 Apr. 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