Etymograph

English

parish

Parish comes from Middle English parisshe ‘a parish’, from Ancient Greek παροικία ‘a dwelling abroad’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyḱ- ‘to enter in, settle’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyḱ-1‘to enter in, settle’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wóyḱos2‘settlement’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*wóikos2‘a settlement’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEοἶκος3‘house, dwelling’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπάροικος4‘dwelling beside or near, neighbouring’
  6. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαροικία5paroikía‘a dwelling abroad’
  7. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEparochia5
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400paroisse5
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500parisshe5‘a parish’
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1896parish5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *wóyḱos
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek οἶκος
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek πάροικος
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Ancient Greek παροικία
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English parish
  6. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1896, Mrs. Humphry Ward, Sir George Tressady: “[…] a chair immediately opposite to Tressady's place remained…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*weyḱ-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *wóyḱos‘to enter in, settle’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wóyḱosWiktionary, Ancient Greek οἶκος‘settlement’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*wóikosWiktionary, Ancient Greek οἶκος‘a settlement’reconstructed
  4. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEοἶκοςWiktionary, Ancient Greek πάροικος‘house, dwelling’
  5. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπάροικοςWiktionary, Ancient Greek παροικία‘dwelling beside or near, neighbouring’
  6. Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEπαροικίαWiktionary, English parishparoikía‘a dwelling abroad’
  7. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEparochiaWiktionary, English parish
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400paroisseWiktionary, English parish
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500parissheWiktionary, English parish‘a parish’
  10. Englishearliest quotation 1896parishWiktionary, English parish. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1896, Mrs. Humphry Ward, Sir George Tressady: “[…] a chair immediately opposite to Tressady's place remained…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *weyḱ- ‘to enter in, settle’

village, villa, vicinity, wick, ville, 39 more

through Proto-Hellenic *wóikos ‘a settlement’

archdiocese, 25 more

through Ancient Greek οἶκος ‘house, dwelling’

ecology, diocese, 26 more

through Ancient Greek παροικία ‘a dwelling abroad’

parochial

Today it means

noun An administrative part of a diocese that has its own church.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “parish”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *wóyḱos, Ancient Greek οἶκος, Ancient Greek πάροικος, Ancient Greek παροικία. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *weyḱ- / parish

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