parochial
adjective
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In the Greek of the New Testament, the word paroikia means "temporary residence in a foreign land" and comes from the Greek word for "stranger": paroikos. Early Christians used this designation for their colonies because they considered heaven their real home. But temporary or not, these Christian colonies became more organized as time went on. Thus, in Late Latin, parochia became the designation for a group of Christians in a given area under the leadership of one pastor—what we came to call a parish in the 14th century. Both parish and its related adjective parochial were borrowed at that time directly from Anglo-French terms that had been derived from the Late Latin. We didn't begin to use parochial in its "narrow" sense until the mid-19th century.
Examples of parochial in a Sentence
Jedediah Purdy, New York Times Book Review, 22 Feb. 2009
There is no patience for the parochial, the small-time, the stay-in-place, not in Los Angeles.
—Richard Hoffer, Sports Illustrated, 8 Sept. 2008
… during the mid-1780s, Madison had two great goals. The first was to inculcate an enlightened sense of national interest in legislators whose political instincts were innately parochial.
—Jack N. Rakove, Original Meanings … , 1996
our pastor and other parochial leaders
voters worried about their own parochial concerns
John Werner, Forbes.com, 17 May 2025
Prevost spent nearly two decades in missionary service in Peru, beginning in 1985 with roles such as parochial vicar and chancellor in Chulucanas, and later director of formation for Augustinian aspirants in Trujillo.
—Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 11 May 2025
Community activists are too often divided over narrow parochial grievances.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Hartford Courant, 8 May 2025
It could not be fenced off and become a parochial one now.
—Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for parochial
Cite this Entry
“Parochial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parochial. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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parochial
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