parlor

[ pahr-ler ]

noun

1. Older Use. a room for the reception and entertainment of visitors to one's home; living room.
2. a room, apartment, or building serving as a place of business for certain businesses or professions:

   funeral parlor; beauty parlor.

3. a somewhat private room in a hotel, club, or the like for relaxation, conversation, etc.; lounge.
4. Also called locutorium. a room in a monastery or the like where the inhabitants may converse with visitors or with each other.

adjective

1. advocating something, as a political view or doctrine, at a safe remove from actual involvement in or commitment to action:

   parlor leftism; parlor pink.

Word History and Origins

Origin of parlor¹

1175–1225; Middle English parlur < Anglo-French; Old French parleor, equivalent to parl ( er ) to speak ( parle ) + -eor -or ²

Example Sentences

“You would see them play in pizza parlors in Portland. They would hang out with fans after the show; they were very approachable.”

From Los Angeles Times

Such are our funeral parlors for food, where mechanical reproduction haunts nourishment and we eat from the giant slot machines of industry.

From Los Angeles Times

Christopher cites the freewheeling nature of the ’50s folk scene as a large influence on his father’s art, which had the sort of bold colors and intricate, line-heavy work one sees in a tattoo parlor.

From Los Angeles Times

Ward was shot and killed in 1998 when he tried to thwart an armed robbery and fired at two suspects, including the shooter, in an underground betting parlor in Harlem.

From Los Angeles Times

Investments in precision technologies such as robotic milking systems, rotary parlors and wearable health and reproductive technologies can help reduce labor costs across farms.

From Salon

Related Words

• drawing room
• living room
• lounge
• salon