From the Latin word persona, meaning "person " From the eleventh century English, where there term was a legal one, applying to the parish priest, because in all matters he was the designated "person" to deal with Today, the term is not used as often as it was, and often evokes rural connotations
A person who represents a parish in its ecclesiastical and corporate capacities; hence, the rector or incumbent of a parochial church, who has full possession of all the rights thereof, with the cure of souls
now rare in Episcopal usage Any priest or minister; often a reference to low-church or non-Episcopal clergy Sometimes a term of affection for an older clergyman especially of rural background
A parson is a priest in the Church of England with responsibility for a small local area, or can be used to refer to any clergyman in some other churches. a Christian priest or minister (persone; PERSON)