''rectory'' ▫ᴱᴺ Entries

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''rectory'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20260917235303-00-⌔

rectory - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

Noun

rectory (plural rectories)

• Any of certain residences for clergy members.
  • ✤ Hypernyms: residence, home, building
  • The residence of Roman Catholic priest(s) associated with a parish church.
    • ✤ Synonym: presbytery
    • ✤ Coordinate terms: curatage, parsonage, vicarage, manse
  • The residence of an Anglican rector.
    • ✤ Coordinate terms: curatage, parsonage, vicarage, manse
    • ✤ It was a joy to snatch some brief respite, and find himself in the rectory drawing–room. Listening here was as pleasant as talking; just to watch was pleasant. The young priests who lived here wore cassocks and birettas; their faces were fine and mild, yet really strong, like the rector’s face; and in their intercourse with him and his wife they seemed to be brothers.¹

Etymology

From Middle French rectorie, from Medieval Latin rectoria. See rector.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɹɛktəɹi/
• Audio (US): 🔊
• Hyphenation: rec‧to‧ry

Printed 2026-09-17.

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Footnotes

1. 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter X, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC: ↩

Link to original

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