parsonage

IPA/ˈpɑːsənɪdʒ/
KK[pˈɑrsənɪdʒ]IPA/ˈpɑːrsənɪdʒ/

parsonage — noun

  • parsonagesingular
  • parsonagesplural

1. a home that a Christian church owns and gives to its minister to live in for fre

1.nounC2
Definition

a home that a Christian church owns and gives to its minister to live in for free while they work there.

Example

Tanvi grew up in a draughty old parsonage beside the village church.

typical pattern: in a [adjective] parsonage beside the church

When the new vicar arrived in Norfolk, the parsonage had been empty for three years.

subject often a vicar, rector, or minister

Common collocations
  • the old parsonage
  • live in the parsonage
  • the parsonage garden
  • next to the parsonage
  • the parsonage was sold
Synonyms
  • vicarage

    British, specifically a Church of England vicar's house; more common in everyday UK usage than 'parsonage'.

  • rectory

    the house of a rector; in Anglican use, slightly grander than a vicarage.

  • manse

    the standard term in Presbyterian and Scottish churches for the minister's house.

  • pastor's house

    plain modern American phrasing, common in Protestant churches that avoid older vocabulary.

Grammar Patterns

the parsonage

a parsonage next to / behind / beside [the church]

Usage Note

Almost always preceded by 'the' when referring to a specific church's house; the word now sounds historical or literary in everyday speech. In modern American usage, churches more often say 'pastor's house' or 'manse' (especially in Presbyterian contexts).

Common Mistakes

My grandfather lives in a parsonage even though he isn't a priest.
My grandfather lives in an old vicarage that was converted into a private house.
a parsonage is specifically the church-owned home for its serving minister; once sold off, it stops being a parsonage.

Word family

  • parson
    nounC1
  • parsonical
    adjectiveC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All five words name a home owned by a church for its minister, but readers should weigh denomination and register. 'Parsonage' is the most general English term and the most common in older American Protestant writing; today it sounds historical or literary. 'Vicarage' is specifically British and points to a Church of England vicar — it is the everyday UK choice. 'Rectory' is also Anglican but indicates a rector's house, which historically held more land and income than a vicarage. 'Manse' is the Presbyterian and Scottish equivalent, still in active use in Scotland and parts of Canada. 'Pastor's house' is plain modern English, common in evangelical or non-denominational churches that prefer transparent vocabulary. So: choose 'vicarage' for a current Anglican setting, 'manse' for a Presbyterian one, and 'parsonage' when writing about the past or in a deliberately old-fashioned tone.

parsonage ↗vicarage ↗rectorymanse ↗pastor's house

Common collocations

Nouns

  • parsonage garden
  • parsonage roof
  • parsonage kitchen
  • parsonage door
  • parsonage wall

Phrases

  • the old parsonage
  • lived in the parsonage
  • moved out of the parsonage
  • the parsonage was sold

Prepositions

  • in the parsonage
  • at the parsonage
  • behind the parsonage
  • beside the parsonage
  • next to the parsonage

Etymology

LatinMedieval LatinAnglo-NormanEnglish

From Medieval Latin 'personagium', meaning 'the property attached to a parson's position', built on 'persona' in its church-legal sense of an officially appointed cleric. The word entered English through Anglo-Norman in the late 1300s, originally meaning the whole benefice — the income, land, and rights that came with a church post — and gradually narrowed to the single sense of the minister's house.