parsonage

American  

[pahr-suh-nij] / ˈpɑr sə nɪdʒ /

noun

1. the residence of a member of the clergy, as provided by the parish or church.

2. English Ecclesiastical Law. the benefice of a parson.

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parsonage British  

/ ˈpɑːsənɪdʒ /

noun

1. the residence of a parson who is not a rector or vicar, as provided by the parish

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Etymology

Origin of parsonage

1250–1300; Middle English personage < Anglo-French, equivalent to Medieval Latin persōnāticum benefice. See parson, -age

Explanation

Parsonage is a somewhat old-fashioned term for the housing a church provides to its clergy. The priest of a church in the English countryside might live in a nearby parsonage. Parsonage literally means "house for a parson," and a parson is the member of the clergy, mainly in the British Anglican church, although Lutherans often use this terminology too. Other names for a parsonage include rectory, clergy house, or vicarage. One of the perks of being a priest in a small, rural church would be getting to live in a charming parsonage.

Example Sentences

The parsonage between the village and the moors where the Brontes lived with their clergyman father and brother, Branwell, is now a museum dedicated to their memory.

From Barron's • Feb. 28, 2026

She also went to his church and the youth club he ran from the parsonage where he lived in Reigate.

From BBC • Feb. 17, 2026

It begins in a country parsonage, moves through social insecurity to final productive years in a cottage Austen shared with a beloved sister, mother and close friend.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 21, 2025

The Brontë family’s life was both quiet and wildly cinematic: Living in an isolated parsonage on the rugged Yorkshire moors, the three sisters and one brother occupied a world of imagination.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 21, 2023

The creation of the studio in the parsonage, a room the way Vincent wants it, is a sign that they are encouraging his work as an artist.

From "Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers" by Deborah Heiligman