glebe house
- noun
- /ˈɡliːb haʊs/
- Archaic
- The old glebe house stood beside the village church for over two centuries.
Examples
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Many historic glebe houses are now used as community centers or museums.
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The new glebe house was built next to the church.
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During the restoration, original features of the glebe house were carefully preserved.
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Many glebe houses have beautiful gardens.
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The old glebe house was a cozy residence for the local priest and his family.
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Many historic glebe houses are located near their respective churches, showcasing unique architectural styles.
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After service, the priest invited the congregation to the glebe house for tea and conversation.
Synonyms
19
7.7
A house provided by a church for its leader
5
9.3
A house a church gives to its priest or minister to live in
2
8.8
A house that a church gives to its priest
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: combining 'glebe' (church land used to support clergy) with 'house' yields a house associated with the glebe — i.e., a dwelling provided for the parish priest. This follows a regular noun+noun compounding pattern and is therefore immediately inferable by a learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
The name glebe house comes from a simple picture: glebe was a word for 'church land'. The house on that land was where the 'parish priest' lived, so the phrase means a house given to the priest.