[par.ish] n [ME parisshe, fr. MF parroche, fr. LL parochia, fr. LGk paroikia, fr. paroikos Christian, fr. Gk, stranger, fr. para- + oikos house--more at vicinity] (14c) 1 a (1): the ecclesiastical unit of area committed to one pastor (2): the residents of such an area b Brit: a subdivision of a county often coinciding with an original ecclesiastical parish and constituting the unit of local government
2: a local church community composed of the members or constituents of a Protestant church
3: a civil division of the state of Louisiana corresponding to a county in other states