Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

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 : WordNet®

parson
     n : a person authorized to conduct religious worship [syn: {curate},
          {minister}, {pastor}, {rector}]