I'm confused about the definition of a word.

[Deja Q]

"parochial"

1 : of or relating to a church parish
2 : limited in range or scope (narrowmindedness, obtuse)


Can somebody tell me which one is the right one... or are they BOTH right?!

[DrDebug]

1. Both are correct. They are even interrelated

Limited in range as in only wanting to see thing from his/her own PARISH. So it's a secondary definition based on an interpretation of the first definition.

[Jon8503]

2. Does this help?

parochial
Dictionary
pa·ro·chi·al (pə-rō'kē-əl) pronunciation
adj.

1. Of, relating to, supported by, or located in a parish.
2. Of or relating to parochial schools.
3. Narrowly restricted in scope or outlook; provincial: parochial attitudes.


pa·ro'chi·al·ism n.
pa·ro'chi·al·ist n.
pa·ro'chi·al·ly adv.
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2004, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Thesaurus
parochial

adjective

Having the restricted outlook often characteristic of geographic isolation: insular, limited, local, narrow, narrow-minded, provincial, small-town. See limited/unlimited.




Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Legal Dictionary
pa·ro·chi·al (pə-`rō-kē-əl)
adj.

Of or relating to a parish


Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law 1996. Merriam-Webster's, Incorporated. Published under license with Merriam-Webster, Incorporated
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WordNet
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The adjective parochial has 2 meanings:

Meaning #1: relating to or supported by or located in a parish
Pertains to noun: parish (meaning #2)

Meaning #2: narrowly restricted in outlook or scope
Synonym: insular

[supernova]

3. They are both right

Although the only time you hear "parochial" in sense #2 now, mostly is when people talk about "parochial school."

"Provincial" we use a lot more in sense #2, rather than "parochial"


But yes, just talking about an ecumenical district, usually Catholic, it's a perfectly fine adjective.

[stellanoir]

4. both

are correct.

[MrModerate]

5. Both are correct . . .

But related in meaning -- a church parish tends to be small, of limited scope, and so does parochial thinking.

[nuxvomica]

6. Curiously, one antonym is "catholic"

From Webster's Unabridged:

2. Not narrow-minded, partial, or bigoted; liberal; as,
catholic tastes.

[DrDebug]

7. catholic as in universal

The original meaning of the word. The Catholic Church is spelled with a capital and it means ... duh ... universal church.

[nuxvomica]

8. I can use all those words in a sentence

Raised as a Catholic in the '60s, I attended parochial school where the nuns taught us to be catholic in our tolerance of other beliefs and to eschew a parochial worldview. :-)