parson

American  

[pahr-suhn] / ˈpɑr sən /

noun

1. a member of the clergy, especially a Protestant minister; pastor; rector.

2. the holder or incumbent of a parochial benefice, especially an Anglican.

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parson British  

/ ˈpɑːsən, pɑːˈsɒnɪk /

noun

1. a parish priest in the Church of England, formerly applied only to those who held ecclesiastical benefices

2. any clergyman

3. a nonconformist minister

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Other Word Forms

• parsonic adjective
• parsonical adjective
• parsonically adverb
• parsonish adjective
• parsonlike adjective

Etymology

Origin of parson

1200–50; Middle English persone < Medieval Latin persōna parish priest, Latin: personage. See person

Explanation

Use the noun parson to describe a member of the clergy — a person with the authority to lead worship in a church or perform religious rites such as weddings and christenings. Historically, parson has been what Anglican church members call their minister or priest, but the term can also be used as a generic term for "clergy member." You might ask a parson to preside at your wedding, or to officiate at your grandmother's funeral, for example. Experts are uncertain about the exact origins of parson, although one theory says it's a shortened form of the Latin persona ecclesiae, "person of the church."

Example Sentences

Roy is mirrored in turn by the later appearance of another parson, Preston Teagardin, played by Robert Pattinson with the same lip-smacking comic flamboyance he recently brought to “The King.”

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 15, 2020

Fleeing the law in Europe, the resourceful parson resurfaced as “Principal of the Anglican Divinity School in Ceylon.”

From Washington Post • Feb. 25, 2020

In a dreary Yankee prison, the rebel confronts his mortal fate before a parson.

From Salon • Jul. 6, 2018

“The point is not what I see, but what I feel,” he explains to the local parson, William Ransome.

From New York Times • Jun. 7, 2017

With the first blow to the roof, the front door flew open, and the parson and his wife fled in terror.

From "A Monster Calls" by Patrick Ness