parquet

[pahr-key]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR parquet ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

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.

verb (used with object), par·queted [pahr-keyd] /pɑrˈkeɪd/, par·quet·ing [pahr-key-ing] /pɑrˈkeɪ ɪŋ/.

to construct (a floor) of parquetry.

Origin of parquet

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for parquet

tile, carpet, woodwork, linoleum, carpeting, tiling, parquet

Examples from the Web for parquet

Historical Examples of parquet

"Give us the truth," some one at the left of the parquet cried.
An American Suffragette
Isaac N. Stevens
There's a man over there in the parquet that I want to say a word to; don't wait for me.
The Crusade of the Excelsior
Bret Harte
The parquet floor was to be supplied with rugs of warm Eastern colours.
The Lady of the Basement Flat
Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey
Within, the wards are lined by glazed tiles, and the floors are of parquet.
Holborn and Bloomsbury
Sir Walter Besant
Zollern tapped his cane on the parquet floor, rhythmically, persistently.
A German Pompadour
Marie Hay

British Dictionary definitions for parquet

parquet

noun

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

Also called: parquet floor a floor so covered

US the stalls of a theatre

the main part of the Paris Bourse, where officially listed securities are tradedCompare coulisse (def. 3)

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

verb (tr)

to cover (a floor) with parquet

Word Origin for parquet

C19: from Old French: small enclosure, from parc enclosure; see park

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for parquet

1816, "patterned wooden flooring," from French parquet "wooden flooring; enclosed portion of a park," from Old French parchet (14c.) "small compartment, part of a park or theater," diminutive of parc (see park (n.)).

Meaning "part of a theater auditorium at the front of the ground floor" is first recorded 1848. The noun use in English has been influenced by the verb (attested from 1640s, from French parqueter. Related: Parquetry