rectory.

1. The residence associated with a rector, especially a parish clergy residence.

2. The office or benefice held by a rector.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• an old rectory
• the parish rectory

On the page

The rectory’s windows looked toward the churchyard rather than the road.

They waited in the rectory kitchen while the rector searched the register.

Usage notes

Primary category: gothic. Forms: Singular rectory; plural rectories. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.