This week’s theme
Words relating to religion

This week’s words
evangelical
epiphany
sacrificial lamb
parochial
judgment day

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(puh-ROH-kee-uhl)

MEANING:

adjective:
1. Having a narrow outlook or scope.
2. Relating to a parish.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Anglo-French parochial, from Latin parochia (parish), from Greek paroikos (neighbor). Ultimately from the Indo-European root weik- (clan), which also gave us vicinity, village, villa, and villain (originally, a villain was a farm servant, one who lived in a villa or a country house), ecumenical, and ekistics. Earliest documented use: 1425.

NOTES:

The term parochial paints a picture of a mind confined to a small village or parish. It’s a worldview that keeps out broader perspectives and larger ideas. In politics, it’s the mindset of a representative who sees the world only through the lens of their district, disregarding what may be best for the country, let alone the planet. Contrast the term with ecumenical.

USAGE:

“German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble said the rejection of a financial transaction tax was short-sighted and parochial.”
Schaeuble Says Transaction Tax Could Cut Volatility; Reuters (UK); Oct 17, 2011.

See more usage examples of parochial in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: