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.
Police searching the neighbouring massage parlour found a hole being dug through an adjoining wall into the jewellery store, along with bags of tools.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
He had the extra line added at the same parlour he had the original done, Holy Trinity Tattoo Studio in Standish, and said he was happy with the result.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Instead of being cremated, her mother had been left in the parlour and it took police seven weeks to identify her, she said.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
An ex-employee described Robert Bush's funeral parlour as a "horror scene", prosecutor Chris Paxton said at the start of a five-day sentencing hearing.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
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.
