parlor

Definition

The living room of a house, or a room for entertaining guests; a room for talking; a sitting-room or drawing room.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English parlour, from Old French parleor, parloir, parleoir, from the verb parler (“to speak”); compare Medieval Latin parlātōrium. Doublet of parloir.

Example Sentences

• "So, after a spell, he decided to make the best of it and shoved us into the front parlor. 'Twas a dismal sort of place, with hair wreaths, and wax fruit, and tin lambrekins, and land knows what all."
• "Immediately at hand was a small, mean public-house - one of those dingy establishments that seem to express, by their morbid and retiring appearance, a certain anxiety to escape the eye of the police - and into the parlour of this hostel Quin promptly led the way."
• "There had been a surprise party and some had entered his hotel parlour to get drink; before he was aware of it the accordion was being played in the room."