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paroissien

parishioner

noun pa-rwa-SYAHN Rare

Origin: from paroisse (parish) + -ien

Usage Note

Paroissien literally means a member of a parish, but colloquially in familiar French it can refer to any individual, often with a slight ironic edge: un drôle de paroissien means 'a strange character' or 'a funny type'. The feminine form is paroissienne. A livre de messe is sometimes still called a paroissien after the prayer books historically given to parishioners.

Examples

"Les paroissiens se réunissaient chaque dimanche après la messe."

Natural Translation

The parishioners gathered every Sunday after mass.

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