parish

noun

1. an ecclesiastical district having its own church and member of the clergy.
2. a local church with its field of activity.
3. (in Louisiana) a county.
4. the people of an ecclesiastical or civil parish.
5. Curling. house(def 20).

Idioms

6. on the parish, British.
   1. receiving charity from local authorities.
   2. Informal.meagerly or inadequately supplied.

noun

1. a subdivision of a diocese, having its own church and a clergymanRelated adjective: parochial
2. the churchgoers of such a subdivision
3. (in England and, formerly, Wales) the smallest unit of local government in rural areas
4. (in Louisiana) a unit of local government corresponding to a county in other states of the US
5. the people living in a parish
6. on the parish history receiving parochial relief

n.c.1300, “district with its own church; members of such a church,” from Anglo-French paroche, parosse (late 11c.), Old French paroisse, from Late Latin parochia “a diocese,” alteration of Late Greek paroikia “a diocese or parish,” from paroikos “a sojourner” (in Christian writers), in classical Greek, “neighbor,” from para- “near” (see para- (1)) + oikos “house” (see villa). Sense development unclear, perhaps from “sojourner” as epithet of early Christians as spiritual sojourners in the material world. In early Church writing the word was used in a more general sense than Greek diokesis, though by 13c. they were synonymous. Replaced Old English preostscyr, literally “priest-shire.”