n. 1. a. An administrative part of a diocese, especially an Anglican or Roman Catholic diocese, having its own church and a designated priest. b. The members of such a parish; a religious community attending one church. 2. A political subdivision of a British county, usually corresponding in boundaries to an original ecclesiastical parish. 3. An administrative subdivision in Louisiana that corresponds to a county in other US states. [Middle English, from Old French parroche, from Late Latin parochia, diocese, alteration of paroecia, from Late Greek paroikiā, from Greek, a sojourning, from paroikos, neighboring, neighbor, sojourner : para-, near; see PARA-1 + oikos, house; see weik-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.