parson

From Middle English persoun, from Anglo-Norman, Old French persone (“parson, person”), from Medieval Latin persona (“parson, person”), from Latin persona (“person”). Doublet of person and persona.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpɑːs(ə)n/

  • Audio (Southern England)

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• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈpɑɹsən/
• Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)sən
• Hyphenation: par‧son

parson (plural parsons)

1. An Anglican cleric having full legal control of a parish under ecclesiastical law.

   Synonyms: rector; autem bawler (slang, archaic, rare), autem jet (obsolete, Britain, thieves' cant)

   Hypernym: cleric

   Coordinate term: vicar

2. A Protestant minister.

   Hypernyms: minister; cleric

3. (now chiefly historical) A Roman Catholic priest of an independent parish church.

   Hypernyms: priest; cleric

   • c. 1503–1512, John Skelton, Ware the Hauke; republished in John Scattergood, editor, John Skelton: The Complete English Poems, 1983, →OCLC, page 62, lines 35–37:

     a lewde curate,
     A parson benyfyced
     But nothynge well advysed.

• Rapson, aprons, aspron

parson oblique singular, m (oblique plural parsons, nominative singular parsons, nominative plural parson)

1. Alternative form of persone (in the sense "parson")