parlor

American  

[pahr-ler] / ˈpɑr lər /

especially British, parlour

noun

1. Older Use. a room for the reception and entertainment of visitors to one's home; living room.

2. a room, apartment, or building serving as a place of business for certain businesses or professions.

   funeral parlor; beauty parlor.

3. a somewhat private room in a hotel, club, or the like for relaxation, conversation, etc.; lounge.

4. Also called locutorium.  a room in a monastery or the like where the inhabitants may converse with visitors or with each other.

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adjective

1. advocating something, as a political view or doctrine, at a safe remove from actual involvement in or commitment to action.

   parlor leftism; parlor pink.

Etymology

Origin of parlor

1175–1225; Middle English parlur < Anglo-French; Old French parleor, equivalent to parl ( er ) to speak ( see parle) + -eor -or ²

Explanation

A parlor is a living room or a sitting room, the place in your house with comfortable chairs and sofas. You might also decide to put your giant new TV in the parlor. The noun parlor is an old-fashioned one. Still, almost anyone would know what you meant if you invited them to join you in the parlor for tea. These days, a hotel, inn, or historic house is more likely to have a parlor than a private home is. The thirteenth century version, parlur, meant "room in a monastery for holding conversations." The "conversations" part stems from parler, "to speak" in French.

Example Sentences

He knew most authorities believed the oldest continuously operating Chinese restaurant was the Pekin Noodle Parlor in Butte, Mont., which dated to 1909 or 1911.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2024

Rosen spent his 20s playing guitar in the New Jersey band the Parlor Mob.

From New York Times • Jan. 6, 2023

Secret Service protectees were also targeted on social media sites like Parlor and other places.

From Salon • Oct. 13, 2022

Open on the same block since 1920, Nom Wah Tea Parlor is a time warp wrought from tile floors, lipstick-red booths, a pressed tin ceiling and slender mirrored columns.

From Washington Post • Aug. 19, 2022

The tires squealed as we turned onto the Norvelt road and about thirty seconds later I hit the brakes and we swerved crazily into the parking lot at the Huffer Funeral Parlor.

From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos

Related Words

• drawing room
• living room
• lounge
• salon