Parson \Par"son\, n. [OE. persone person, parson, OF. persone, F. personne person, LL. persona (sc. ecclesiae), fr. L. persona a person. See Person.]

1. (Eng. Eccl. Law) 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.

2. Any clergyman having ecclesiastical preferment; one who is in orders, or is licensed to preach; a preacher.

He hears the parson pray and preach. --Longfellow.

Parson bird (Zo["o]l.), a New Zealand bird (Prosthemadera Nov[ae]seelandi[ae]) remarkable for its powers of mimicry and its ability to articulate words. Its color is glossy black, with a curious tuft of long, curly, white feathers on each side of the throat. It is often kept as a cage bird.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)