Where does “parson” come from?
Parson comes from Middle English persoun, from Old French persone, from Latin persōna, originally meaning a theatrical mask or character.
parson (English): An Anglican cleric having full legal control of a...
Definitions
- An Anglican cleric having full legal control of a...
Ancestry of “parson”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | persoun | person |
| 2 | Old French | persone | person; individual; rector of a parish; someone;... |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | persona | parson, person; mask; character |
| 4 | Latin | persōna | mask |
| 5 | Etruscan | 𐌘𐌄𐌓𐌔𐌖 | a mask; a masked individual, often performing in... |
| 6 | Ancient Greek | πρόσωπον | face, visage, countenance; front; mask |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | ὤψ | to the eye; in the face; eye |
| 8 | Proto-Hellenic | ókʷs | eye |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ókʷs | eye |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₃ekʷ- | to see; eye |