rectory

noun

rec·​to·​ry ˈrek-t(ə-)rē How to pronounce rectory (audio)
plural rectories
1
: a benefice held by a rector
2
: a residence of a rector or a parish priest

Examples of rectory in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The suspect accused of fatally stabbing a Nebraska priest after breaking into a church rectory earlier this week was ordered held without bond during his arraignment on murder and burglary charges Thursday. Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 14 Dec. 2023 One Neighborhood Builders The developer plans to raze the neighboring rectory building and construct a new building to house 14 of the 44 units. Alexa Gagosz, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Aug. 2023 Value: $2 M The six-bedroom home on the island of Tresco is housed in an old granite rectory, with hilltop views of the Atlantic Ocean and the 19th-century Round Island lighthouse. Giacomo Tognini, Forbes, 4 May 2023 The developer plans to raze the neighboring rectory building and construct a new building to house 14 of the 44 units. Alexa Gagosz, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Aug. 2023 Malecki attended Mass with Maskell and lived close to the church's rectory at the time of her death. Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 8 July 2023 The 11-year-old boy was an altar server at St. John Vianney in west suburban Northlake during the early 1960s, when a popular priest began inviting him out to dinner, drive-in movies and even sleepovers at the rectory. Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2023 There is another Facebook page also devoted to housing, and other scouts, like Arlene Weston, a local housing commissioner who helped place student workers in a vacant church rectory last summer. Jenna Russell Sophie Park, New York Times, 28 May 2023 The church will become a performance space, and the rectory has become a community gathering space called the Watkins House. Christopher Muther, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rectory.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rectory was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near rectory

Cite this Entry

“Rectory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rectory. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rectory

noun
rec·​to·​ry ˈrek-t(ə-)rē How to pronounce rectory (audio)
plural rectories
: a residence of a rector or a parish priest

More from Merriam-Webster on rectory

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