parson
pronunciation
How to pronounce parson in British English:
UK [ˈpɑ:sn]
How to pronounce parson in American English:
US [ˈpɑrsn]
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- Noun:
- a person authorized to conduct religious worship
Word Origin
- parson
- parson: [13] Parson and person started off as the same word (both come from Latin persōna) but split into two. It is not altogether clear why parson came to be used for a ‘priest’. It may simply have been a specialized application of an extended post-classical sense of Latin persōna, ‘person of rank, important person, personage’ – hence ‘person of high position within the church’. But it has also been speculated that it originated in the notion of the priest as the ‘person’ who legally embodied the parish (who could for example sue or be sued on behalf of the parish).=> person
- parson (n.)
- late 12c., from Anglo-French and Old French persone "curate, parson, holder of Church office" (12c.), from Medieval Latin persona "parson" (see person). Ecclesiastical use is obscure; it might refer to the "person" legally holding church property, or it may be an abbreviation of persona ecclesiae "person of the church."
Example
- 1. Dress ? Why should you dress upto take tea with an old parson ?
- 2. Have you ever heard the name of the parson of emminster - you must have done so ?