- 1[countable] an area that has its own church and that a priest is responsible for a parish church/priest He is vicar of a large rural parish.
- 2[countable] (in England) a small country area that has its own elected local government the parish council
- 3[countable + singular or plural verb] the people living in a particular area, especially those who go to church
- 4[countable] (in the US state of Louisiana) a county Word OriginMiddle English: from Anglo-Norman French and Old French paroche, from late Latin parochia, from Greek paroikia ‘sojourning’, based on para- ‘beside, subsidiary’ + oikos ‘dwelling’.
Check pronunciation: parish
