Part 81

Ascham.

Par"see (?), n. [Hind. & Per. prs a Persian, a follower of Zoroaster, a fire worshiper. Cf. Persian.]

1. One of the adherents of the Zoroastrian or ancient Persian religion, descended from Persian refugees settled in India; a fire worshiper; a Gheber.

2. The Iranian dialect of much of the religious literature of the Parsees.

Par"see*ism (?), n. The religion and customs of the Parsees.

Pars"er (?), n. One who parses.

Par`si*mo"ni*ous (?), a. [Cf. F. parcimonieux. See Parsimony.] Exhibiting parsimony; sparing in expenditure of money; frugal to excess; penurious; niggardly; stingy. -- Par`si*mo"ni*ous*ly, adv. -- Par`si*mo"ni*ous*ness, n.

A prodigal king is nearer a tyrant than a parsimonious.

Bacon.

Extraordinary funds for one campaign may spare us the expense of many years; whereas a long, parsimonious war will drain us of more men and money.

Addison.

Syn. -- Covetous; niggardly; miserly; penurious; close; saving; mean; stingy; frugal. See Avaricious.

Par"si*mo*ny (?), n. [L. parsimonia, parcimonia; cf. parcere to spare, parsus sparing: cf. F. parcimonie.] Closeness or sparingness in the expenditure of money; -- generally in a bad sense; excessive frugality; niggardliness. Bacon.

Awful parsimony presided generally at the table.

Thackeray.

Syn. -- Economy; frugality; illiberality; covetousness; closeness; stinginess. See Economy.

Pars"ley (?), n. [OE. persely, persil, F. persil, L. petroselinum rock parsley, Gr. &?;; &?; stone + &?; parsley. Cf. Celery.] (Bot.) An aromatic umbelliferous herb (Carum Petroselinum), having finely divided leaves which are used in cookery and as a garnish.

As she went to the garden for parsley, to stuff a rabbit.

Shak.

Fool's parsley. See under Fool. - - Hedge parsley, Milk parsley, Stone parsley, names given to various weeds of similar appearance to the parsley. -- Parsley fern (Bot.), a small fern with leaves resembling parsley (Cryptogramme crispa). -- Parsley piert (Bot.), a small herb (Alchemilla arvensis) formerly used as a remedy for calculus.

Pars"nip (?), n. [OE. parsnepe, from a French form, fr. L. pastinaca; cf. pastinare to dig up, pastinum a kind of dibble; cf. OF. pastenade, pastenaque.] (Bot.) The aromatic and edible spindle-shaped root of the cultivated form of the Pastinaca sativa, a biennial umbelliferous plant which is very poisonous in its wild state; also, the plant itself.

Cow parsnip. See Cow parsnip. -- Meadow parsnip, the European cow parsnip. - - Poison parsnip, the wild stock of the parsnip. -- Water parsnip, any plant of the umbelliferous genus Sium, the species of which are poisonous.

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 (Zoˆl.), a New Zealand bird (Prosthemadera NovÊseelandiÊ) 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.