Hypertext Webster Gateway: "parish"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Parish \Par"ish\, n. [OE. parishe, paresche, parosche, OF.
paroisse, parosse, paroiche, F. paroisse, L. parochia,
corrupted fr. paroecia, Gr. ?, fr. ? dwelling beside or near;
? beside + ? a house, dwelling; akin to L. vicus village. See
{Vicinity}, and cf. {Parochial}.]
1. (Eccl. & Eng. Law)
(a) That circuit of ground committed to the charge of one
parson or vicar, or other minister having cure of
souls therein. --Cowell.
(b) The same district, constituting a civil jurisdiction,
with its own officers and regulations, as respects the
poor, taxes, etc.
Note: Populous and extensive parishes are now divided, under
various parliamentary acts, into smaller ecclesiastical
districts for spiritual purposes. --Mozley & W.
2. An ecclesiastical society, usually not bounded by
territorial limits, but composed of those persons who
choose to unite under the charge of a particular priest,
clergyman, or minister; also, loosely, the territory in
which the members of a congregation live. [U. S.]
3. In Louisiana, a civil division corresponding to a county
in other States.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Parish \Par"ish\, a.
Of or pertaining to a parish; parochial; as, a parish church;
parish records; a parish priest; maintained by the parish;
as, parish poor. --Dryden.
{Parish clerk}.
(a) The clerk or recording officer of a parish.
(b) A layman who leads in the responses and otherwise assists
in the service of the Church of England.
{Parish court}, in Louisiana, a court in each parish.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
parish
n 1: a local church community
2: the local subdivision of a diocese committed to one pastor
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