parson
NounWordNet 3.0
Noun (1)
- a person authorized to conduct religious worship“clergymen are usually called ministers in Protestant churches”Synonyms: curateminister of religionministerpastorrector
Webster's Dictionary (GCIDE)
Parson \Par"son\, n. [OE. persone person, parson, OF. persone, F. personne person, LL. persona (sc. ecclesiae), fr. L. persona a person. See Person.] [1913 Webster]
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. [1913 Webster]
2.Any clergyman having ecclesiastical preferment; one who is in orders, or is licensed to preach; a preacher. [1913 Webster]
He hears the parson pray and preach.— Longfellow.[1913 Webster]
Parson bird (Zool.), 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. [1913 Webster]