parish

noun

1. 1

   An administrative part of a diocese that has its own church.

   With some of it on the south and more of it on the north of the great main thoroughfare that connects Aldgate and the East India Docks, St. Bede's at this period of its history was perhaps the poorest and most miserable parish in the East End of London.

   Near-synonym: vicarate

2. 2

   The community attending that church; the members of the parish.

3. 3

   An ecclesiastical society, usually not bounded by territorial limits, but composed of those persons who choose to unite under the charge of a particular priest, clergyman, or minister; also, loosely, the territory in which the members of a congregation live.

4. 4

   In any of various countries, an administrative subdivision of an area, often of a county. A civil subdivision of a British county, often corresponding to an earlier ecclesiastical parish; a similar subdivision in Ireland.

   Atlantic gales constantly buffet Morwenstow, whose seven hamlets together constitute Cornwall's most northerly parish. The village is dotted with trees moulded into weird shapes by the wind, and above the trees rise the vicarage chimneystacks resembling miniature church towers.

5. 5

   In any of various countries, an administrative subdivision of an area, often of a county. An administrative subdivision in the U.S. state of Louisiana that is equivalent to a county in other U.S. states.

verb

1. 1

   To place (an area, or rarely a person) into one or more parishes.

   […] [m]akes possible, through the aid of the rural ministers, the development of the various phases of the District program, such as (a) Parishing of the District; (b) Interdenominational adjustment in the interest of rural religious advance […]

   Father Malachy, a distant cousin, who was parished somewhere in the depths of Co. Monaghan, sat firmly in the chair in the corner, sipping his tea from a china cup.

   [object Object]

   Consequently, approaching half of the non-metropolitan population of England is parished (Table 2.2). […] The South West and East Midlands are also particularly well parished while the North West, West Midlands and South East are poorly parished.

2. 2

   To visit residents of a parish.

   […] a chair immediately opposite to Tressady's place remained vacant. It was being kept for the eldest son of the house, his mother explaining carelessly to Lord Fontenoy that she believed he was "Out parishing somewhere, as usual."

   "You will take pleasure in parishing. Mother used to parish." "How do you know I like parishing?" "Your uncle said so." "Oh! did he?" "And you may like the rectory people; it's a fine old house, and often full of visitors."

   "Are you going ‘parishing’ this morning?" inquired Diana, as she watched him fill and light his pipe.

   In 1916 he was Rector of Hampton Bishop, a village on the River Wye outside Hereford, and one day while “parishing”, as he called visiting his flock, a farmers' wife, a Mrs. Christopher Field, gave him an account of her father's death-bed; […]

verb

1. 1

   Variant of perishPronunciation spelling of perish, representing Mary–marry–merry merger English.

Forms

plural

parishes

past tense

parished

past participle

parished

present participle

parishing

third person singular

parishes