parachurch

P3A1R1A1C3H4U1R1C3H4

noun

A Christian organization that engages in social welfare and evangelism without restricting itself to a specific religious denomination.

OriginEnglish church ← Middle English chirche ← Old English ċiriċe →
UncommonScrabble 22
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Meanings

nounparachurch (plural parachurches)

plural parachurches

  1. A Christian organization that engages in social welfare and evangelism without restricting itself to a specific religious denomination.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*per-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*preh₂-
  3. Proto-Hellenic*pərai
  4. Ancient Greekπᾰρᾰ́ (părắ)
  5. Ancient Greekπᾰρᾰ- (pără-)
  6. Englishpara-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*ḱewh₁-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*ḱuh₁ryós
  9. Proto-Hellenic*kúrios
  10. Ancient Greekκῡ́ριος (kū́rios)
  11. Koine Greekκῡριακός (kūriakós)
  12. Koine Greekκῡρῐᾰκόν (kūrĭăkón)
  13. Proto-West Germanic*kirikā
  14. Old Englishċiriċe
  15. Middle Englishchirche
  16. Englishchurch
  17. Englishparachurch

From para- + church.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

parachurch. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/parachurch

MLA

“parachurch.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/parachurch. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “parachurch,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/parachurch.

Source: parachurch on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.