parlour
Americannoun
noun
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old-fashioned a living room, esp one kept tidy for the reception of visitors
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a reception room in a priest's house, convent, etc
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a small room for guests away from the public rooms in an inn, club, etc
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a room or shop equipped as a place of business
a billiard parlor
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a small shop, esp one selling cakes and nonalcoholic drinks
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Also called: milking parlour. a building equipped for the milking of cows
Spelling
See -or 1.
Etymology
Origin of parlour
C13: from Anglo-Norman parlur, from Old French parleur room in convent for receiving guests, from parler to speak; see parley
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Despite exhaustive attempts to return items to families, the BBC understands some objects recovered from the funeral parlour remain unclaimed.
From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026
Speaking to the BBC, the couple said they found Macie-Mae's body on the sofa at the funeral director's home, six miles away from the funeral parlour where they thought her body was being looked after.
From BBC • Nov. 12, 2025
Legume hordes like clover pull nitrogen from the air, reducing the use of chemical fertilisers, and the milking parlour is 80-percent solar- and wind-powered.
From Barron's • Nov. 11, 2025
Speaking to BBC Newsnight, the couple said they discovered Ms Upton had kept their daughter's body at her home, six miles away from the funeral parlour where they believed her body was being looked after.
From BBC • Aug. 29, 2025
His wife in the TV parlour paused long enough from reading her script to glance up.
From "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
