parquet

American  

[pahr-kay] / 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

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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

Settled down on the polished parquet flooring, no doubt cross-legged, they were part of something that would shape the learning landscape forever.

From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2024

I run my fingertip along the parquet wood floor.

From "A High Five for Glenn Burke" by Phil Bildner

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

In the finely parqueted floor great holes appear; the places from which fine statues of Canova's were, as the steward told us, dragged up for the Emperor of Russia.

From The Life and Letters of Maria Edgeworth, Volume 1 by Augustus J. C. Hare

There we found, spread upon a spotless cloth which rested on a clean-swept though cracked pavement parqueted in different marbles, a most delightful and plentiful luncheon.

From Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, Volume 22. July, 1878. by Various

The ground was covered with a parqueted flooring of rare wood, forming concentric patterns.

From The Hollow Needle; Further adventures of Arsene Lupin by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos

The wainscot wants patching up, and so does the parqueted floor.

From Happy-Thought Hall by Sir F. C. (Francis Cowley) Burnand

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Related Words

• carpet
• carpeting
• linoleum
• tile
• woodwork

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