parquet

American  

[pahr-key] / pɑrˈkeɪ /

noun

1. a floor composed of short strips or blocks of wood forming a pattern, sometimes with inlays of other woods or other materials.

2. the part of the main floor of a theater, opera house, etc., that is between the musicians' area and the parterre or rear division or, especially in the U.S., the entire floor space for spectators.

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verb (used with object)

parqueted, parqueting

1. to construct (a floor) of parquetry.

parquet British  

/ ˈpɑːkeɪ, -kɪ /

noun

1. a floor covering of pieces of hardwood fitted in a decorative pattern; parquetry

2. Also called: parquet floor.  a floor so covered

3. the stalls of a theatre

4. the main part of the Paris Bourse, where officially listed securities are traded Compare coulisse

5. (in France) the department of government responsible for the prosecution of crimes

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verb

1. to cover (a floor) with parquet

Etymology

Origin of parquet

1670–80; < French, diminutive of parc park; see -et

Explanation

It must take a very long time to create a parquet floor. This type of woodwork includes many small, intricate pieces laid out in a geometrical pattern, almost like a mosaic. Parquet is a French word that rhymes with tray. In fact, this type of woodwork originated in France and seems to have first been used on the floors at the Palace of Versailles. It is decorative in nature and can be used for flooring and also for furniture, such as tabletops. Sometimes parquet is also used to describe the main seating area in a theater — closest to the orchestra, or stage.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

parquet parqueted

It mixes images of parquet floors; spindly, naked trees; and Sol LeWitt-style stripes in a geometric composition that juxtaposes inside and out, black and white, relaxation and activity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Beds are surrounded by animal-print seating, parquet oak flooring, marble tables, mirrored cabinets and custom wallpaper.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026

Built in 2008, it features parquet de Versailles flooring, 18th-century French Louis XV–carved stone fireplaces, and hand-carved marble bathtubs.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 5, 2026

Boston made a blockbuster move in 2017 by trading for Irving, with the hopes of seeing him grace its parquet floor in the NBA Finals.

From Seattle Times ● May 30, 2024

It had shiny oak parquet floors, a foyer with two steps leading down into the living room—where I slept—and, off to the side, a bedroom that became Lori’s.

From "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

Seepage has rotted away the wooden beams supporting the parqueted floors, loosened the gold and plaster ceilings which are nailed precariously to deteriorating laths.

From Time Magazine Archive

She was in high feather, and as she tramped along the cool parqueted hall she kept calling out, "Uncle Ju—where are you, Uncle Ju?"

From Patsy by S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett

As a delicate wind danceth invisibly upon parqueted seas, light, feather-light, so—danceth sleep upon me.

From Thus Spake Zarathustra A book for all and none by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

The parqueted floor was partially covered with skins, and the furniture seemed to have known many a generation; some of it was heavy and cumbersome, some of it was modern.

From Vain Fortune by George (George Augustus) Moore

Only the embrace of Jack's good left arm kept Mrs. De Peyster from subsiding into a jellied heap upon her parqueted floor.

From No. 13 Washington Square by Leroy Scott

Related Words

• carpet
• carpeting
• linoleum
• tile
• woodwork