parish (păr&ibreve_;sh), n. [OE. parishe, paresche, parosche, OF. paroisse, parosse, paroiche, F. paroisse, L. parochia, corrupted fr. paroecia, Gr. paroikia, fr. paroikos dwelling beside or near; para beside + o'i^kos a house, dwelling; akin to L. vicus village. See Vicinity, and cf. Parochial.]
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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.
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&hand_; Populous and extensive parishes are now divided, under various parliamentary acts, into smaller ecclesiastical districts for spiritual purposes. Mozley & W.
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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.]
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3. In Louisiana, a civil division corresponding to a county in other States.
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