parsonishadj.
/ˈpɑːsn̩ɪʃ/, U.S. /ˈpɑrs(ə)nɪʃ/ Now rare.
Resembling that of a parson; moralistic; prudish, old-womanish.
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society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > parson > [adjective]
parson-like1666
parsonical1679
parsonic1761
parsonly1775
parsonish1824
parsonese1860
1824 C. Lamb Let. 23 Jan. (1935) II. 415 His Book..is..too stuft with scripture, too Parsonish.
1884 Punch 11 Oct. 178/2 A proper parsonish style.
1894 R. L. Stevenson & L. Osbourne Ebb-tide viii They are too parsonish, too much of the old wife, and even the old apple wife.
1994 Vancouver Sun (Nexis) 20 Jan. a12 As a school trustee he offended some of his parson-ish colleagues by supporting that Grade 12 student who wanted to present..If Men Had Periods.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1824