RECTORY

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does rectory mean? 

• RECTORY (noun)
  The noun RECTORY has 1 sense:

1. an official residence provided by a church for its parson or vicar or rector

  Familiarity information: RECTORY used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• RECTORY (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An official residence provided by a church for its parson or vicar or rector

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

parsonage; rectory; vicarage

Hypernyms ("rectory" is a kind of...):

residence (the official house or establishment of an important person (as a sovereign or president))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "rectory"):

glebe house (a parsonage (especially one provided for the holder of a benefice))

 Context examples 

This little rectory CAN do no more than make Mr. Ferrars comfortable as a bachelor; it cannot enable him to marry.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

The disagreement subsisting between yourself and my late honoured father always gave me much uneasiness, and since I have had the misfortune to lose him, I have frequently wished to heal the breach; but for some time I was kept back by my own doubts, fearing lest it might seem disrespectful to his memory for me to be on good terms with anyone with whom it had always pleased him to be at variance.—'There, Mrs. Bennet.'—My mind, however, is now made up on the subject, for having received ordination at Easter, I have been so fortunate as to be distinguished by the patronage of the Right Honourable Lady Catherine de Bourgh, widow of Sir Lewis de Bourgh, whose bounty and beneficence has preferred me to the valuable rectory of this parish, where it shall be my earnest endeavour to demean myself with grateful respect towards her ladyship, and be ever ready to perform those rites and ceremonies which are instituted by the Church of England. As a clergyman, moreover, I feel it my duty to promote and establish the blessing of peace in all families within the reach of my influence; and on these grounds I flatter myself that my present overtures are highly commendable, and that the circumstance of my being next in the entail of Longbourn estate will be kindly overlooked on your side, and not lead you to reject the offered olive-branch. I cannot be otherwise than concerned at being the means of injuring your amiable daughters, and beg leave to apologise for it, as well as to assure you of my readiness to make them every possible amends—but of this hereafter. If you should have no objection to receive me into your house, I propose myself the satisfaction of waiting on you and your family, Monday, November 18th, by four o'clock, and shall probably trespass on your hospitality till the Saturday se'ennight following, which I can do without any inconvenience, as Lady Catherine is far from objecting to my occasional absence on a Sunday, provided that some other clergyman is engaged to do the duty of the day.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

It is a rectory, but a small one; the late incumbent, I believe, did not make more than 200 L per annum, and though it is certainly capable of improvement, I fear, not to such an amount as to afford him a very comfortable income.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)