parochialis

Forms

parochialis (neuter parochiale); third-declension two-termination adjective^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin parochia (“diocese, parish”) + -ālis; the TLL derives it from paroecia, the spelling closer to the Greek.^[2][3] The spellings ⟨paroecialis⟩ and ⟨parrochialis⟩ occur.^[2][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

The earliest writers the TLL quotes are Gregory the Great, who speaks of ordaining rural priests, and the Council of Braga of 572, with parish churches and clerics.^[2][5] In the letters of the Collectio Avellana it refers instead to the bishops of a church province.^[2]

Semantic evolution

The word followed the meanings of parochia: first of a church province, then of the rural parts of a diocese outside the bishop's city, then of a parish and of what fell under parish rights.^[4][2] Legal texts of the early Middle Ages use it for what belonged to the diocese.^[6] The neuter plural parochialia named the dues paid for the parish priest's services, such as baptism and burial.^[4]

English parochial comes through Anglo-French from the Late Latin word.^[3]

Timeline

• 540–604 AD – Gregory the Great uses it for rural priests.^[2][5]
• 572 – The Council of Braga speaks of parish churches and parish clergy.^[2]
• late 14th century – English takes parochial through Anglo-French.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. (Late Latin) Of a church province.^[2][4]
2. (Late Latin) Of the rural part of a diocese, outside the bishop's city.^[2][4]
3. (Medieval Latin) Of a parish, parochial.^[4][7][8]
4. (Medieval Latin) Falling under parish rights.^[4]
5. (Medieval Latin) (neuter plural, as a noun) parochialia: dues paid for the parish priest's services.^[4]

Related words

• parochia
• English parochial

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d e f g h Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ Köbler, Gerhard, Liber exquisiti xenii: Lexikon frühmittelalterlicher Rechtswörter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
7. ^ Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
8. ^ Lexicon mediae et infimae Latinitatis Polonorum (1953–), Kraków: Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN; electronic ed. elexicon.scriptores.pl