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.
Her colleague Georges agreed, saying he had built his house and sent his children to study abroad thanks to his funeral parlour.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026
Helicopters hovered above the site during a frantic search for survivors, while several black vans arrived from a funeral parlour.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Nigel Hotham's uncle, Mark Hotham, died in September 2023 and his body was later found in Bush's funeral parlour.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026
A man who spent £550 on a huge tattoo declaring England as World Cup 2026 winners has returned to the parlour to add the phrase "just joking!"
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
The ladies rose; they seemed about to withdraw to the parlour.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
