purlieu

[ pur-loo, purl-yoo ]

/ ˈpɜr lu, ˈpɜrl yu /

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See synonyms for: purlieu / purlieus on Thesaurus.com

noun

purlieus, environs or neighborhood.

a place where one may range at large; confines or bounds.

a person's haunt or resort.

an outlying district or region, as of a town or city.

a piece of land on the edge of a forest, originally land that, after having been included in a royal forest, was restored to private ownership, though still subject, in some respects, to the operation of the forest laws.

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Origin of purlieu

1475–85; alteration (simulating French lieu place) of earlier parlewe, parley, paraley purlieu of a forest <Anglo-French purale(e) a going through, equivalent to pur (<Latin prō for, pro¹, confused with per through) + aller (see alley¹)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use purlieu in a sentence

It would be too dismal for Gwynne to roam through the purlieus with a policeman—and he cannot come down often.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
But while he sneaked in the purlieus of the city several of his 'longshore friends passed him without a second look.
Blow The Man Down|Holman Day
And then Mr. Furnival strolled off to look for the attorney among the various purlieus frequented by the learned strangers.
Orley Farm|Anthony Trollope
Is drink-money for your old age, when else you must starve or stab in the purlieus of Genoa, not worth one month's sobriety?
The Long Night|Stanley Weyman

Theology, straying from the enclosures of religion, enters the purlieus of philosophy, and in some cases exacts stiff definitions.
Instigations|Ezra Pound

British Dictionary definitions for purlieu

purlieu

/ (ˈpɜːljuː) /

noun

English history land on the edge of a forest that was once included within the bounds of the royal forest but was later separated although still subject to some of the forest laws, esp regarding hunting

(usually plural) a neighbouring area; outskirts

(often plural) a place one frequents; haunt

rare a district or suburb, esp one that is poor or squalid

Word Origin for purlieu

C15 purlewe, from Anglo-French puralé a going through (influenced also by Old French lieu place), from Old French puraler to traverse, from pur through + aler to go

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

purlieu

Origin of purlieu

Words related to purlieu

How to use purlieu in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for purlieu

Word Origin for purlieu