† PARISH

Anglo-French paroche, from the Ancient Greek paroikia = a diocese, or literally place of paroikos, meaning neighbor [para =near + oikos = house from PIE🔍 root weik = clan] with an added connotation of sojourner.

It's not clear how sojourner/ neighbor came associated with a stable diocese. Possibly, due to the term sojourner being a common epithet of early Christians (as spiritual journeyman, not truly belonging to earthly life.) It soon became associated in a general sense with the Christian congregations in Greek writings. 

    Eventually it replaced the Old English preostscyr = priest-shire and became ubiquitous in 11th century English land divisions (and in some parts of what would become the Southern United States, like New Orleans which is still divided into Parishes, not districts, today.)