parson
Americannoun
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a member of the clergy, especially a Protestant minister; pastor; rector.
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the holder or incumbent of a parochial benefice, especially an Anglican.
noun
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a parish priest in the Church of England, formerly applied only to those who held ecclesiastical benefices
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any clergyman
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a nonconformist minister
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."
Vocabulary lists containing parson
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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Our Town
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Twelfth Night
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He spoke with the easy grace of a country parson, but no fire and brimstone emanated from his pulpit as he calmly but bracingly recounted what he said was his mother’s family history.
From New York Times • Dec. 17, 2021
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
In chapter 36, Lucy arrives at the home of a priggish parson, whose wife is desperately ill with typhoid.
From Washington Post • May 26, 2020
In a dreary Yankee prison, the rebel confronts his mortal fate before a parson.
From Salon • Jul. 6, 2018
“You may have the yew tree,” the parson said.
From "A Monster Calls" by Patrick Ness
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
