Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Parson"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Parson \Par"son\, n. [OE. persone person, parson, OF. persone,
F. personne person, LL. persona (sc. ecclesiae), fr. L.
persona a person. See {Person}.]
1. (Eng. Eccl. Law) A person who represents a parish in its
ecclesiastical and corporate capacities; hence, the rector
or incumbent of a parochial church, who has full
possession of all the rights thereof, with the cure of
souls.
2. Any clergyman having ecclesiastical preferment; one who is
in orders, or is licensed to preach; a preacher.
He hears the parson pray and preach. --Longfellow.
{Parson bird} (Zo["o]l.), a New Zealand bird ({Prosthemadera
Nov[ae]seelandi[ae]}) remarkable for its powers of mimicry
and its ability to articulate words. Its color is glossy
black, with a curious tuft of long, curly, white feathers
on each side of the throat. It is often kept as a cage
bird.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
parson
n : a person authorized to conduct religious worship [syn: {curate},
{minister}, {pastor}, {rector}]
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