n
1. ( in Britain ) an area with its own church and priest. It is a part of a diocese (= a district for which a bishop is responsible). People go to their parish church , and all the details of local births, marriages and deaths are put down in a special book called the parish register . In the US, a parish can mean a church, its administrative area, its members, or the area where they live.
2. ( also civil parish ) the smallest unit of local government in England. Since 1894, a parish of more than a certain size has had to elect a parish council .
3. ( in the US state of Louisiana ) a county.