parochial

Meanings

1. 1
   adj

   narrowly restricted in outlook or scope

   little sympathy with parochial mentality

2. 2
   adj

   relating to or supported by or located in a parish

   parochial schools

3. 3
   adj

   Pertaining to a parish.

   The parish council handles parochial affairs. [civil context]

4. 4
   adj

   Characterized by an unsophisticated focus on local concerns to the exclusion of wider contexts; elementary in scope or outlook.

   The use of simple, primary colors in the painting gave it a parochial feel.

5. 5
   noun

   A parochial individual.

   If the vast majority of the citizens of our Southeast Asian countries are subjects rather than parochials, the question is: are they also participants?

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman parochial and its source Late Latin parochialis, an alteration of paroecialis (“of a church province”), from paroecia, from Hellenistic Greek παροικία (paroikía, “stay in a foreign land”), later “community, diocese”, from Ancient Greek πάροικος (pároikos, “neighbouring, neighbour”), from παρα- (para-) + οἶκος (oîkos, “house”).